Love Affair
by Loves to dance
Summary: [Completed] Lily and James dated during their 7th year, then broke up. Now they have both moved on, and into different relationships. However, when they meet up 2 years later, things begin to heat up.
1. Laughs Over Lunch

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already know.

* * *

"Carina, are you almost ready?" Lily Evans called out to her best friend.

"Almost," was the response.

"Hurry up, we're going to be late," Lily yelled across the apartment. Lily and her best friend Carina Gallagher were going out to lunch that Sunday afternoon. They did that every Sunday, rain or shine. It was a tradition, because for about a year they didn't live close to each other. Now, however they were roommates, but it was still nice to get out of the house.

"Carina, I'm leaving without you," Lily shouted.

At that moment, Carina strolled out of her bedroom. She was wearing her long blonde hair down today, and had on a beautiful black shirt and blue flowered skirt. Lily couldn't help but think that it was amazing that Carina was still single.

"Come on Lils, we have to go now," Carina reminded her.

Lily stared at her best friend and said, "That's what I've been telling you for the past twenty minutes!"

Carina just smiled sweetly as she strolled passed her friend and headed out of the door.

---

A few minutes later, Lily and Carina found themselves at their favorite bakery. It was right up the street and had the best sandwiches in the world.

"Hello ladies, what can I get for you today," the owner, Roger Sullivan asked his two favorite costumers.

"I think I'll have a turkey sandwich, no mayo please and a coffee," Lily told him.

"And I'll have the same," Carina added, "But throw in a bag of chips as well."

Moments later, they got their food and decided to sit outside because it was such a glorious day. The sun was shining brightly, no clouds were to be seen, and the temperature was warm.

"So, Lils, how's it going with Jason," Carina asked.

Lily smiled, thinking about her boyfriend Jason Everard. It was astonishing to think that the couple had been dating for nearly six months now. In fact, it was amazing to Lily how far their relationship had come in those six months. She could remember clearly when he had worked up the nerve to ask her on a date-

_Lily was on her lunch break from work, sipping a steamy cup of coffee. Her cheeks were bright red from the bitter coldness of the atmosphere outdoors. She could feel the hot liquid pour down her throat, and that's when she saw him._

_His hair was chocolate brown, with gorgeous eyes to match. The way he walked made him look as if he were the most confident man alive. _

_Lily watched him walk by her, flashing a huge smile of pearly whites in her direction. He was absolutely gorgeous; no other word to describe it. _

_She let out a sigh once he sat down at a different table. It was a sigh of both relief and disappointment. She had wanted him to come up to her, sweep her off her feet and give her a romantic kiss. Yet, she knew striking up a conversation with the brown haired man would be difficult; she'd probably say something to make her look like a complete fool. _

_Once her coffee was done, she stood up, grabbed her purse off the ground, and headed toward the exit. However, with her luck, it wasn't as simple as it sounds._

_Right as she passed the brown haired man, a child ran by, pushing her off balance. And even more to her luck, he was right there to catch her fall._

_"Alright there?" he asked. His brown eyes looked down into her own green orbs, as if studying her every move. _

_Lily's heart was beating fast and she was at a loss for words. Just gazing up into the strangers eyes seemed to take her breath away. In fact, she hadn't spoken until she realized the position she was in. Her head was rested against the man's arm, and she was almost entirely seated upon his lap. _

_"I'm, I'm fine," she answered._

_"Good," he said, although he wasn't able to take his eyes off hers. It was as if there was an enchantment placed upon the two people, not letting them part at all. _

_After a few moments, the two people snapped back into reality, remembering that they were not the only two people in the world. It was the that Lily hoisted herself off of the stranger, him helping her with his strong arms._

_"I'm Jason Everard, by the way," he told her._

_"Lily, Lily Evans" she replied with a flirtatious smile._

_"Evans?" he asked with brows raised._

_"Yes," she timidly responded._

_"Hogwarts," he faintly said._

_Her eyes lit up brightly, "Oh my God, you went to Hogwarts."_

_"And so did you," he responded with disbelief._

_"You know, that you mention Hogwarts, I think I remember you. Were you in Ravenclaw?"_

_"Yeah, and you?"_

_"Gryffindor," she responded with a huge smile. The pride she had for her House at Hogwarts was unbelievable, as it was for all of the old Gryffindors. _

_The two talked for quite some time afterward; reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts, talking about their jobs, and even a bit of quidditch was mentioned._

_"So, Lily, I heard there was this new restaurant in town, Boyalini's, and maybe, if you wanted, we could go there some time," Jason said as they wrapped up their lunch conversation._

_"Yeah, that sounds great," she replied._

_"How does Thursday sound? Say, seven?" he questioned._

_"Seven on Thursday it is," she responded with her award-winning smile. _

"It's great, we're going out for dinner next week to celebrate our six month anniversary, at Boyalini's," Lily responded.

"You are so lucky, he's such a sweet guy… I need a guy so bad."

"Carina, you'll find someone," Lily promised.

"No I won't. I think it's my job. You know? I think guys get intimidated that I work with deadly potions. They probably think I'm going to poison them in their sleep."

Lily laughed, "You mean you've haven't thought about it?"

Carina sensed the joking tone in Lily's voice. "Loads of times, what do you think happened Charlie?"

Lily looked at her in horror, "Oh my God, I didn't know. Carina, you could go to Azkaban for that."

"I'm kidding you moron."

"Bloody hell, you scared me. I thought you were serious."

"Lily, you are so gullible," Carina responded with a laugh. "And just so you know, I've never poisoned anyone."

Lily suddenly felt kind of stupid, actually believing that Carina would do something like that.

"Anyways Lils, what do you think that you and Jason are going to be doing? After dinner that is?" Carina asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Should I be out of the house that night? So you can be as loud as you want," Carina asked sweetly.

"Carina! You bitch. I can't believe that you just suggested that," Lily whispered furiously. Her cheeks were growing redder by the second.

"What? It was a perfectly logical question," Carina defended herself.

"No, you can stay at the apartment," Lily said. Then added, "I'll go to his house."

Carina laughed, "Ha, I knew it. You'd let your guard down in a second to be with him."

"Shut up," Lily felt her face reddening even more, she was sure that there wasn't much of a color difference between her face and her dark, red hair.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore."

"Thank you."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Okay, here's the first revised chapter of many more to come! I hope you guys all like the changes that I made, and please review!


	2. Slight Interuptions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already know.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who ever reviewed this story before the revision took place! And a special thanks to PammaPoo and rebel with a crappy attit for reviewing the revised chapter one!

* * *

"Which one do you think she'll like better?" James Potter asked. In his hands were two bracelets. One was silver and linked together in what looked like ivy leaves, and the other was made of tiny white pearls.

"I don't know, she's your girlfriend," Sirius Black answered. He was James's best friend ever since their days at school, and would always remain his best friend.

"So, you should still know," James whined. His hazel eyes were full of concern about the present; he wanted it to be perfect.

Sirius ran his hand through his shaggy black hair and asked, "Why are you even getting her this anyway?"

"Because she's mad at me, and everyone knows presents are the only way to get a girl to stop being mad at you," James responded smoothly.

"What did you do to get her pissed in the first place?"

"I have no clue," he answered with a hopeless smile.

Sirius let out a small laugh before responding, "You are awful when it comes to woman. You don't listen to what they say, never have either."

"Hey, now that's not true," James said defensively.

Sirius had a skeptical look on his face while saying, "Name one girl."

James thought about it for a second before responding, "Lily Evans."

"She doesn't count," Sirius answered while trying to hide his defeat.

"And why not? I dated her for a long time."

"You fucking worshiped the ground she walked on, you were more like a stalker than a boyfriend," Sirius casually replied.

"Shut up," James muttered.

"Fine…I'd give her the silver one."

"Really?"

"No, I just want you to give her that one because I don't think she'll like it," he sarcastically said.

"I'll take this one," James told the man at the counter.

…

"Jamie, this is for me? You're so sweet," Emmy Sellick excitedly said while giving her boyfriend a huge kiss on the lips.

"You like it?" James asked.

"I love it, baby," she answered while admiring the silver bracelet that swung around her tiny wrist.

"Good," he said while pulling her closer for a kiss. She smiled as she slid closer to him, snuggling against his embrace.

"I love you," she said while grinning up at him. Her blue eyes were filled with warmth, and her chocolate hair was outlining her face in an angelic way.

He didn't say anything though, just smiled down at her, unsure of how to respond. He had said those three magic words before only once to a girl, and she never even heard it. And he wasn't keen on throwing those three words around when they didn't truly come from the heart.

She looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to respond. "Don't you love me?"

"Love is a very strong word," he said with a small smile.

"James," she sternly said.

"I like you a lot," he told her.

Her face had a sour look to it, making her face go from angelic to hellish. Her lips were pursed together, her icy eyes showed more anger than ever before. She had her arms crossed tightly across her chest, and her breathing became heavy.

Before Emmy could even say one more word of anger, James lent forward and quickly kissed her cheek. "Sorry, baby, I've got to go to work. I'll stop by and see you tomorrow."

With a quick 'pop' he apparated away, leaving his girlfriend speechless.

After a few minutes, Emmy finally regained her composure. She looked at the seat that James had just occupied and heavily rolled her eyes. "You son of a bitch," she muttered.

…

'Knock, knock'

"Just a second," Lily called. She wondered who could possibly at the door; it was almost 11:00 at night. She quickly got up off the couch, pulling the navy blue blanket over her shoulders.

She opened the door to find Jason. She smiled up at him and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, I haven't seen you for nearly a week, and I missed you," Jason replied.

Lily's smile grew even larger as she stood on her tiptoes to give him a light kiss on the lips.

He moved into the apartment and shut the door behind him. He smiled down at the girl in his arms, wanting nothing more than to kiss her; which he did. He expertly wrapped his arms around her diminutive body, forcing her to press against him. She tilted her head toward his, instantly giving in to the kisses Jason wanted. She could hear herself moan as Jason took his lips off of her own. She wanted him back on her, fulfilling her mouth's needs. Instead, he laid his swollen lips on her neck, kissing her intensely.

Jason reluctantly traveled the kisses back to her mouth, kissing her lips fiercely. He slid a hand down to her thigh, and his hand slowly made its way back toward her ass. Lily gasped at the unexpected action, and then settled back into kissing him.

They eventually made their way over to the couch, not taking their arms or lips off of each other the entire way. Lily giggled a bit as she felt Jason brush a few kisses near her breast, which only make him kiss her harder.

He slid a hand up her nightgown, caressing Lily's upper thigh. Lily felt a familiar tingle in her stomach, she always got it when things were getting intimate with Jason.

Just as Lily was undoing the buttons on Jason's jacket, Carina walked into the room. She was stumbling over her feet and fell onto the couch.

Lily jumped as she felt her friend's presence on the couch.

"Oh my God, Carina, are you okay?" Lily asked.

Jason got up off of Lily, looking at Carina. He despised her at that moment, he was so close and she ruined it.

"Well, I better be going," Jason told Lily and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Bye," Lily responded.

Then she concentrated on Carina. Was she drunk?

"Lily, you wouldn't believe what happened to me today," Carina said, her words were slurred.

Lily looked at her, and asked, "What the hell happened Carina? Are you alright?"

"I'm just peachy! Now guess what happened."

Carina looked at Lily as best she could. "Well, since you aren't guessing, I'll just have to tell you." Carina had a goofy grin on her face, but it soon turned stern (for a drunken fool at least.) "I was at work today and my bastard of a boss came in. You see, he's not a nice man at all."

"No, he's not," Lily agreed.

"Who's not what?" Carina asked her, the effects of the alcohol forcing her memory to be impaired.

"Your boss, you were talking about your boss," Lily sternly reminded her.

"Oh right, I was. You see, he came in today to see me. Then he said he was lonely and tried to feel me up."

"Oh my God. Carina that's serious!" Lily shouted.

"Lily, stop screaming in my fucking ear for god's sake. So I told him 'no' and he fired me for saying 'no.'" Carina concluded.

"He fired you?" Lily was dumb struck. She couldn't believe that her best friend had been fired because she wouldn't sleep with her boss.

"Yes, that bloody bastard did. So I went to the local pub and had a marvelous time."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," Lily began, but noticed that Carina had passed out, her head in Lily's lap.

Lily slowly lifted Carina's head off of her lap and got to her feet. She pulled her up on the couch, resting her head on a pillow. Lily then proceeded to take her friend's shoes off and gathered a blanket so she wouldn't be cold.

Lily then yawned, and went into her room for some shut eye.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Hope you liked the revised chapter 2. Please review!

Oh, and Bananilla, in the review, fanfiction cut off the end of the email address! So if you could either email me or write it in a new review, that would be great!


	3. Proposal?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows. And the scene in the restaurant was inspired by Legally Blonde.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Muzzy-Olorea and pale pink roses for reviewing the original version. And thanks to hpjsr, Tolly, Niux, PammaPoo, lizziee, siriuszsecretlover, bananilla, and weird and wonderful for reviewing the new version!

Tolly: Yeah, I actually deleted all the other chapters from the website. I'm reposting them all once the revision for each chapter is complete.

Niux: No I won't post the original version. Sorry you don't like the new one, but that's not my problem. In fact, I don't even know why you don't like this new one, especially since the changes that I made were minor. I'm only changing description so that its better. And I incorporated James's friends as well. You probably don't even remember the original version. You probably only remember the chapters when Lily and James finally get together, which in both versions, doesn't happen until chapter 4 or 5.

bananilla: Sorry, the review still won't allow your email address to be posted in the review! Do you think you could email me with it? I guessed the ending to it, so hopefully I got it right!

* * *

About a week later, Lily was preparing for her date with Jason. She had on one of the typical 'little black dresses.' The dress had spaghetti straps and went into a v-neck, showing off a little bit of cleavage. It reached to a little above her knees. Lily pulled her long red hair into a stylish bun, a few strands being left out to illuminate her face. Her black, strapy shoes made her about two inches taller. She wore a silver necklace around her neck; it was a gift from Jason for her birthday.

"How do I look?" Lily asked Carina.

Carina looked her friend up and down, "You're going knock him dead Lils."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'm using a different eyeliner, you don't think it looks bad?"

"Lily, you look amazing. Stop worrying about it," Carina responded.

Lily smiled, and then heard a knock at the door. 'That must be Jason,' she thought. Carina went over and opened the door, it was indeed Jason. Lily couldn't help but notice how great he looked. He had one of his best suits on that night.

"Hello, Carina," Jason charmingly said once she opened the door.

"Jason, haven't seen you in quite a while," Carina commented.

"Yeah, work is keeping me busy, you know, with all that's happening with You-know-who."

"Yeah…Well, here's Lily," she told him while turning her head towards Lily.

Lily stood there with a huge smile on her rosy lips. Just meeting Jason's eyes with her own could make her heart skip a beat. His brown hair was combed perfectly into place, and his chocolate colored eyes would melt her heart with one glance. Everything about him was amazing.

"Hey Lily," he said while coming up next to her. He bent down to kiss her softly, but broke away before Lily really felt that the couple had connected.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied as he took her hand in his own. It was a different feeling though, his hand was clammy now, as if he was nervous about doing something.

---

"Hello gorgeous," James said as he suddenly apparated into Emmy's apartment.

"Hey James," she responded. James couldn't help but notice that she didn't call him 'Jamie.'

"Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"Why the fuck would I be mad at you? You've only blown me off for work four times in the past week, and not to mention the other night, you just left me there without saying anything," Emmy shouted at him, her voice was full of sarcasm.

"Emmy, you know that I can't help that. I have to go when they call me," he pleaded. "And about the other night, can't we just pretend that it never happened?"

"Pretend that it never happened?"

"Yes," he replied weakly.

"No, we can't pretend that it never happened. God damn it James, why is it so hard for you to say it? I mean, I know that you care about me!"

"I do care about you, a lot… But you know that I care about you, so why should I say it?"

Her eyes were like deep slits, showing just how angry she was.

"Emmy, baby, this isn't really why you're mad is it? About some stupid little fight?" James asked.

"No, not all of it. You've blown me off for your stupid job four times this week, like I already told you!" she shouted.

He sighed a bit, and then said, "I've told you a million times before, when they call me in, I have to go. It's part of the job… Especially now with even more attacks happening than ever before."

"How do I really know that?" she asked, bitterness was present in her naturally sweet voice.

"What do you mean?" he asked, James was truly confused about what his girlfriend was implying.

"I saw your partner the other day, James. She was gorgeous, why didn't you tell me your partner was a woman?" Emmy's voice was raising and her face was turning red.

"What? Is that what this is about?" he shouted back at her. Now James was mad, he had told Emmy all about his partner. "I've mentioned Sam before."

"There you go again. Sam is it? I'm guessing that's short for Samantha."

"Well yeah, what did you think?"

"I thought she was a bloody fucking guy, James. I can't believe you didn't tell me about her," Emmy shouted.

"Well you were fucking wrong, there's nothing I can do about that," he yelled back at her.

"God damn it James. For all I know you could be sleeping with that whore behind my back."

"For one Sam isn't a whore. And I've never cheated on you before," he bellowed.

"Oh that so damn typical, that's what they always say, those disloyal fuckers who cheat on their girlfriends." Emmy was now shaking with anger at James. "Get out," she said softly.

"Emmy, just listen to me," he begged.

"GET OUT!" she screamed, pulling her wand out.

James just looked at her for a second then left her apartment.

---

"Jason this place is beautiful." Lily looked around her at the restaurant. There were giant windows that overlooked a gorgeous waterfall, and everything was so fancy! The dishes were the finest porcelain in the wizarding world, the utensils were real silver, the tablecloths had the most elaborate designs, and the ceiling was charmed to have a full moon and sparkling stars above.

"Yeah it is," he responded. Lily frowned for a second, this was not the typical answer that she would have expected from him. Usually he would have said that is was nothing compared to how much he loved her, or something romantic like that.

After ordering their food Jason started to sweat a little. "Jason, are you okay?" Lily asked, there was concern written all over her face.

"Um, yeah I'm fine," he replied. "Actually, no, I'm not okay."

"What wrong? Are you sick?" she asked.

"No, Lily, I was going to wait to do this later, but I don't know if I can do that to the both of us."

'Oh my God, is he going to propose? That would explain the clammy hands and the nervousness. What am I going to say? Would I say yes, or no?' Lily's mind was buzzing, butterflies appeared in her stomach.

Jason took a gulp of water and then began saying, "Lily, I've had so much fun with you this year."

"Yeah, so have I." Lily's eyes were dancing with joy, this was about to become the happiest day of her life.

"It's just that, as much as I love being with you, it's really distracting me. I need to put in 24 hours, seven days a week for my job. And, it's just not fair to either one of us." Jason finished. Then looked at her, avoiding her green eyes, waiting for a response.

Lily's smile quickly faded after she heard the statement. 'Did he just breakup with me?' She felt like crying, here she was thinking he was going to propose, and he dumped her.

"What?" was all she could manage to say.

"I'm sorry, I really am," he told her.

"So, we're just over, just like that?" she questioned.

"Well, yes…But it's really not you. I just really need to concentrate on my job at the moment; it's been my goal ever since I was five years old."

"And I'm getting in the way of it," she stated.

"No, more like distracting me away from it," he honestly told her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, never had she ever been dumped before. "You fucking bastard," she muttered as she picked up her glass of water and threw the water at him with as much force as she had at him.

She then turned and left the restaurant. Leaving a dumbstruck and soaked Jason behind her.

---

She couldn't believe what had just happened; she couldn't believe that Jason had just dumped her. It couldn't be so, it just couldn't. Only weeks ago, the couple had been laughing and having a good time. Lily couldn't figure out what went wrong. Their personalities worked wonders together, and their physical relationship was anything but awful.

As Lily walked along the dark street, she realized that she had no idea of where she was. Of course it wasn't a huge problem, as she was a witch and could easily apparate to her apartment, but she didn't want to go back there. She didn't' want to explain to Carina what happened, especially as she was just comprehending it herself.

Her pace quickened once she saw a bench come into view, she walked as if her life depended on reaching that bench. Once she got there, she quickly collapsed onto it, letting her body fall apart. She allowed the tears to finally fall from her eyes.

She sat there for quite some time, letting herself to be a complete mess. Her mascara ran down her cheeks from the tears, her hair was getting wet from the light rain that feel from the sky, and her little black dress was getting destroyed from the rain and the dirty bench she sat on.

Once her tears were finally all dried up, Lily got up off of the bench. She didn't know where she wanted to go, but she couldn't just stay on that bench all night, she had to do something to get her mind off of Jason Everard. And that's when she saw it; the perfect place to go, a pub. She needed it; she needed to drink all her problems away.

Lily took a deep breath as she neared the pub. She looked down at herself, and quickly muttered the spell to clean herself up. Her dress was clean, her hair was back to the stylish bun, and her mascara was no where to be seen.

As she walked into the pub and sat down at the bar, someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around and was surprised to see a familiar face from her past.

* * *

**Author's Note 2: **Hope you all liked this chapter! If you guys can remember the old one, not much actually changed, but I still hope you guys like it! Please review!


	4. Drunken Nights

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to satans little fairy, pale pink roses, rockingal, Blah, pirateslife4me1, sodapopgirl703, LeslieGlady, dee, and Muzzy-Olorea for reviewing the original version. And a special thanks to KLLRS, justdreem, hpjsr, Niux, weird and wonderful, Kristanna, Rose Lily Potter, Princess Pixie Ice, rebel with a crappy attitude, NatiFcs28, Di, Flame Of Desire, AddictedtoCookies, and Snuffles95141 fore reviewing the revised version! I love you all to pieces!

* * *

Lily was surprised when she saw James Potter standing behind her. She hadn't seen or heard from him in two years. And there he was, at the very pub she was at.

Lily observed how great he looked. His messy black hair, which she had occasionally run her fingers through, had the same appearance as when she dated him in their seventh year at Hogwarts. His eyes were still a warming color of hazel and his figure was still strong.

"How have you been Lils?" James asked.

"I just got dumped," she replied bluntly. Usually that would not have been her response, but she was in no mood to be polite.

"You don't say, I just got kicked out of my girlfriend's apartment."

"What'd you do?" Lily asked as she took a huge gulp of her firewhiskey. Her eyes watered a little from the drink, but she didn't mind the fiery substance flowing down her throat.

"Absolutely nothing. She accused me of cheating on her." James took another gulp of his firewhiskey as well.

"Why'd he dump you?" he then asked.

"He said I was a distraction away from work, that bloody bastard of a man."

James didn't say anything more; he thought that Lily wouldn't want to talk about it, at least not to him. After all, he was her ex-boyfriend, and hadn't spoken in nearly two years.

"Can I get another firewhiskey?" Lily called to the bartender. The man slid a drink across the counter and she picked it up and downed it in just one gulp.

"You know what?" Lily asked James, there was a hint of tipsiness in her voice.

"What?" he asked.

"The bloody moron couldn't even wait until after dinner to dump me, he just did it at the restaurant," surprisingly, her voice was not full of sorrow as she said this; instead, she seemed to be enjoying her misery. James thought that it must have been the alcohol taking over.

"I'm sorry Lils," he told her.

"It's okay. I'm better off without him, I just need a few more of these drinks and I'll be just peachy," she responded with a huge grin across her face.

---

In just a matter of minutes, Lily and James had each consumed three more firewhiskeys. Lily was even tipsier than before, and ended up telling James her life story.

"You know, he was my first," she said out of the blue.

"Your first what?"

"My first shag," she told him.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yup, I thought I loved him, but I guess not," Lily slurred her words a little. Then added to the bartender, "Can I have some, oh what's it called, um, a White Russian drink thingy?"

The bartender mixed her drink and then placed it in front of her, giving her a slightly concerned look at all the alcohol she already had.

Lily through her head back and finished the glass. "James, these are really good. You should get one, and I'm going to get another!"

The bartender gave them each one; Lily and James were definitely drunk now.

"You want to know something else?" Lily asked James.

He nodded his head, unable to think of the right words to say.

"Right before he dumped me, I thought he was gonna propose to me. And then he would marry me and have lots of little Jason juniors around the house. But not anymore, because it's all over now," Lily explained.

"You're really stupid you know, thinking he was gonna propose."

"I don't like you, oh what's the word? Well, I can't remember but I don't like you doing it."

Just then James started laughing at her, here she was drunk and wearing an elegant dress, sitting at a bar. Her deep red hair was coming a little loose, allowing small strands to slide across her face, her almond shaped eyes were shining, and she looked beautiful.

Plus, she was telling James all the little details about their relationship, most of which James truly didn't want to hear, but humored her anyways.

Lily saw him laughing and decided she would laugh too, she didn't know why, but she thought it was a good idea.

Once the laughter had finally died down Lily turned to the bartender once again and asked, "Mr. Bartender, would you be so kind and pour me another thingy of that stuff you just gave me?"

"Okay lady, I think you've had enough now," he told her sternly.

Lily got a confused look on her face, which soon turned to anger, "I think I know when I've had enough to drink."

"Lily, don't worry about it," James told her, "We can go back to my place. I'm sure I've got something to drink there."

Lily started giggling and then said, "Okay, it'll be fun! We can see who can drink more."

With that said, the two borrowed some floo powder from the bartender and arrived at James's apartment. It wasn't huge, but not small either, just the perfect size. Lily noticed the sitting area was larger than the one at her apartment, and she stumbled over to sit on one of the couches. She instantly saw a framed photograph of James and a woman whom she assumed was Emmy, his ex-girlfriend. They were smiling at each other and laying small kisses on each other's lips.

She then noticed James making a huge amount of noise coming from another room. She looked to where the noise was coming form in confusion, but quickly got up and stumbled her way to where she saw a disgruntled looking James Potter standing.

"I can't find it," he told her.

Then he staggered his way over to another room and slowly opened the wooden door. Lily eagerly followed him in, wondering what he was doing. Once inside, she saw where they were: the bedroom. A large bed stood in the middle of the room, and Lily felt herself blush when she saw it.

James headed over to the bed and sat down on the corner of it, bending over to reach inside a bedside table. He then pulled out a fairly large bottle of wine, which Lily noticed was half gone.

"Found something," he told her with a grin on his face.

"You don't have to shout, you know. I'm standing right next to you."

"I didn't shout, you're just a little tipsy and think I did." He pulled off the cap and began to drink the alcohol.

"Hey, give me some of that," Lily protested.

"You want it, come and get it," James said as he fumbled over his own legs and fell onto the center of the bed, making a large crashing noise on his way down.

Lily ran over as best she could and pulled the bottle out of James's grip. She was about to drink the remainder of the bottle when James pulled her down on top of him, making Lily lose her grip and drop the bottle.

She looked down into James's eyes, and then suddenly bent down and kissed him. His lips tasted like the hard liquor that they had both just consumed. She didn't' know exactly why she kissed him, but somehow it felt like the right thing to do, kiss him there on his bed. Besides, it felt amazing; he felt amazing.

As he kissed her fiercely, she could feel his strong arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. His tongue slid across her lips, forcing its way into her mouth, which Lily eagerly wanted. He rolled her over and kissed her even harder then before, as if it was the last kiss he would ever give.

James left her mouth, making Lily groan as he reached her neck. The kisses started out playful, but then became more passionate.

Without even realizing it, James's hands had traveled underneath her dress, making their way toward her upper thighs. Lily moaned with pleasure, she loved what he was doing to her. Just the touch of his hands on her bare skin was enough to drive her wild with passion towards him.

James heard the moan and took that as a sign to continue. He lifted the dress over her head quickly, leaving Lily in only her bra, knickers, and shoes. He made his way over toward her stomach, leaving a trail of kisses on her skin. She pulled him back up and tried desperately to get his shirt off, but she was having a great deal of trouble. James helped her with his shirt, and it was quickly discarded to the floor. Lily then let her hands roam his perfectly toned chest. Her hands slid down to his belt buckle, which she managed to get undone with expert skill.

The rest came as a blur to Lily; somehow they had managed to discard the rest of their clothes. Then the kisses became hotter and heavier, and the next thing Lily knew was a feeling of a sharp pain, which left instantly as their bodies became one. She was overwhelmed by the pleasure that her body was feeling as James worked his magic. She could hear herself moaning and calling his name out. He in turn was moaning with pleasure, her name escaped his mouth every so often.

After they had completed, Lily rested in James's strong arms, never wanting him to let go. She was comforted by him. They soon fell asleep in each other's arms, drunk as they were, it was enjoyable.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Okay, here's chapter four! Now, don't blame me if them acting like that when they were drunk is unrealistic or if the sex part isn't very good, because I personally have never experienced either one of them. Anyways, please review!


	5. The Morning After

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Muzzy-Olorea, satans little fairy, fuzzycat982, pale pink roses, Anonymus, dee, and SMH for reviewing the original chapter 4. And another thanks to bananilla, albus's bitch, siriuszsecretlover, Loopypants, hpjsr, Rose Angelz, and Flame Of Desire for reviewing the revised version!

* * *

The next morning Lily awoke with a pounding headache, she felt awful. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that she had a man's arms around her. She smiled as she breathed in his smell, felt his strong arms across her body, and felt his warm breath on her neck. She turned over a bit in order to see the face of Jason Everard, but noticed that it wasn't him at all! In fact, now that she looked around her, it wasn't his house either, or hers!

Lily was becoming frantic, what was she going to do? Why didn't she have any clothes on? Then it slowly came to her: Jason had broken up with her last night. He had ended their long, blissful relationship.

She tried to think of what happened next, but it wouldn't fully come to her. All she remembered was going to a bar and seeing James Potter again.

'But what happened next?' she silently asked herself. She looked over at the man at her side, knowing instantly that it was James. His suntanned body was visibly coming out of the sheets, and his hair was even messier than the before. That's when it hit her: she had slept with James.

Her heart began to race; what was she going to do? She quickly looked around her, placing her head on her forehead, trying to escape the migraine. She saw a used towel on the floor, not far from where she was. She quickly got up and wrapped the towel around herself, then proceeded to search for her own clothes. In her mind, the faster she found her clothes, the faster she got out of the apartment, and that was what she wanted. She wanted to forget what had happened the night before, leaving James behind her forever.

…

James could feel the bed move beneath him, and he opened his eyes at once. What he saw surprised him though. There was a girl standing in his room, searching for something. She wore nothing but a small white towel, which was wrapped across her body. It was somewhat revealing, especially when she bent down to grab a small black shoe from the ground.

He peered his eyes once more, trying to figure out who this girl was. Her deep red hair was flowing down her back, and her skin was white a porcelain. He studied her once more before realizing who she was: Lily Evans. But why was she in his apartment wearing only a towel?

"Lily, what happened last night?" he asked groggily.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, obviously unaware that he had woken up. Her heart was hammering as she turned to face him. She didn't want to answer him, she didn't want to say the truth. Somehow, it felt like if she didn't say those words, then maybe they wouldn't be true.

And she was saved from answering his question when she felt a sudden feeling of nausea in the back of her throat. She cupped her hands over her mouth and ran from the room, searching for the bathroom. The first room she tried was just an extra bedroom, but the next one she tried was indeed the bathroom. Lily ran over to the toilet and the hangover took over.

James listened as he heard sounds of throwing up from his bathroom. He tried hard again to concentrate, but he just couldn't remember what happened. Of course he could tell the general facts of previous night, just by seeing her with no clothes on in his bedroom. But he wondered how it had come to that.

He sighed once more before he too, got a sudden feeling of nausea and ran for the bathroom.

---

Once they had seen enough of the bathroom, they made their way back to James's room. Lily searched for her dress, wanting to have something secure on her, not just the small white towel from earlier.

"We have sex last night," James stated. His eyes showed that he could still not remember anything form the night before.

Lily sighed, but didn't answer him, instead she pulled the dress on, making sure the towel covered her exposed body from James's sight. She then gathered up her remaining clothes and pulled them on. She then turned to James and said, "Yes, we did, but we were both drunk. So, it doesn't count."

"Oh," was all he managed to say.

"Do you have any aspirin or anything like that?" Lily asked. Her head was still pounding, making every word form James's mouth sounds ten times louder than it really did.

"Huh? Um, no. Why don't you just use the charm," he suggested.

"I don't have my wand with me," she replied irritably.

James got up off his bed, making sure that the towel he had found was still concealing him, and grabbed his wand off of the nightstand. "Come here," he ordered.

Hesitantly, Lily obeyed and stood in front of him. She heard him mutter the spell while he touched the tip of his wand to her head. Then he proceeded to do the same to himself.

Lily was about to suggest that she should go, when there was a knocking sound at the door. She tensed up and looked at James, as if asking what to do.

He got up and pulled on some pants and a shirt, then said, "Stay in here, I'll come back when the person leaves."

Lily nodded and watched James leave her side. He shut the door behind him, and then walked over to the front door.

"Jamie!" Lily heard a voice that belonged to a woman. She knew that eavesdropping was wrong, but decided to lean her ear against the bedroom door anyways. She wanted to hear what was happening.

"Emmy, what are you doing here?" James asked. Two emotions were shown on his face, curiosity and nervousness. Luckily, Emmy didn't notice.

"Jamie, I'm so sorry," Emmy apologized. "I never should have jumped to conclusions. I know you, and you would never cheat on me."

James had two thoughts running threw his head at her words. One being nervousness that she would discover Lily in his bedroom, and once again throw a fit and never speak to him again. The other though, was a slight bit of laughter. How ironic it was that he did have sex with another woman last night, even if at the moment he was drunk beyond belief.

"Can you forgive me?" Emmy asked, her voice was full of hope and need.

"Of course, and I promise to tell you more about Sam sometime, so you don't have to worry."

"Oh, no need to do that Jamie. I invited her to come out to dinner with you and me next Saturday night," Emmy informed him. Then as an after thought, "If that's okay with you, sweetie."

"Yes, that's fine," James told her. He would have agreed to anything she said at that moment, just to get her out of the house. He was so worried that Emmy would find out about Lily.

"Oh, good!" Emmy shrieked. Then she grabbed James around the neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"Well, I wish I could stay longer Jamie, but I've got to go to work. I just couldn't wait to tell you that I still love you," Emmy informed him and then kissed him lightly on the lips before heading out of the apartment.

James sighed and then walked back to his bedroom.

"So, you guys are back together now, congratulations... I better be going," Lily told him.

"Wait, Lils. Um, before you go, don't you think we should talk about what we're going to do now?" James asked.

"Why would we need to talk? You and I are both going to pretend that last night never happened."

"Okay," was all James could muster up to say.

"It was nice seeing you James," Lily said and then turned to leave.

"Wait."

Lily froze in her tracks, what did he want?

"It was nice seeing you too, maybe next time we can both be sober," he joked.

"Bye James."

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** There's the revised chapter 5! Please review and tell me what you think of it! Sorry it took so long to post, but I've been pretty busy. You know, the Kerry campaign and watching the Red Sox win the World Series can keep a girl pretty busy!


	6. The Sorrows of Lily Evans

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note:** First of all I want to say thanks to all of you who have reviewed- dee, LeslieGlady, oceanjewel, Blackgirl5, Muzzy-Olorea, pale pink roses for reviewing the original! And thanks to hpjsr, xMs.Mexxx, bananilla, a fan, Kristanna, and vickiicky for reviewing the revised chapter!

* * *

"Wow, must have been some date last night," Carina joked as Lily walked into the apartment. Her red hair was a chaotic mess, she had a rested, yet pleased look on her face, and she was still wearing her 'little black dress' from the night before.

"He dumped me," Lily miserably said. She sighed as she threw her bag onto the floor and kicked off her heels. All she wanted was to sit down and rest.

"What?" Carina asked. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, and her jaw was nearly touching the table at which she sat at.

"Jason broke up with me," she repeated.

"Oh, Lils, I'm so sorry," Carina answered as she got up form her seat at the kitchen table. She ran over to Lily and engulfed her into a gigantic hug.

Lily blinked her eyes hard, trying desperately to keep away the tears, but it was no use. She sobbed into Carina's sweet embrace, releasing the pain Jason had caused her. True be told, however, Lily actually hadn't thought about Jason until she entered the apartment. Her mind was set on James, which allowed her to be happy. James seemed to have forced Jason out of the picture for quite some time, until now that is.

After some time, Lily's tears had finally dried up. She and Carina were both seated at the kitchen table, each holding a mug of hot chocolate in their hands. Lily sank down into her seat, breathing in the steam of the hot drink in front of her.

"Lils, if you don't mind me asking, where were you last night?"

Lily's eyes went wide; she hadn't thought of what she would tell Carina. And she certainly didn't want to tell her the truth about what happened, she didn't want anyone to know about what she and James had done last night, not even her best friend.

"Um, I just was so depressed that I went out to a bar," Lily admitted.

"Lils, you're awful at holding down your liquor," Carina whined.

At those words, Lily knew what she would say; it would be the perfect lie, and extremely realistic. "I know, well, you see, I had a little too much and completely forgot where home was, so I ended up checking into a motel for the night."

"Oh," was the response, yet there was a skeptical look on Carina's face.

"It really was quite embarrassing," she added, forcing her cheeks to turn a deep shade of pink.

Carina seemed to believe her words, as she didn't press the matter any longer. The two women sipped their hot chocolate in silence, unsure what to say next.

After some time had passed, Lily got up from her seat and said, "Well, I think I'm going to take a shower now."

Carina smiled as she watched her friend leave. She couldn't believe that Lily and Jason were truly over. She had always imagined them as staying with each other forever, and growing old together with two kids, a cat, and of course Lily's snowy white owl.

…

Once Lily got into the bathroom, she turned the water on in the shower to a steamy, hot temperature. As the water heated, Lily glanced at herself in the mirror. Her face was framed with dry tears, and her pale skin looked even paler. She turned her head slightly, pulling her hair back and away from her face. It was then that she saw a deep mark on the side of her neck. She turned bright red in a matter of milliseconds, smiling as she thought of last night.

As the steam from the shower starting to escape from behind the curtains, Lily snapped back into reality. She quickly discarded the rest of her clothing and stepped into the warm shower. She felt relieved when the water hit her skin, making her shudder beneath the heat.

It was exactly what she needed at that moment, a place where she could be alone and think. She needed to fully process that she and Jason were over and done with now. She needed to heal her broken heart, she needed to think, and most of all she needed to cry once more.

Tears came as she sobbed into the steamy water, tears for Jason. She had loved him so much, more than any other man before. She had given him herself completely; allowed him to explore her both physically and emotionally. He was the one man that she had trusted more than ever before; the one man that she had trusted not to break her heart.

She ran her fingers to her face, wiping away the salty tears that wouldn't stop falling. She couldn't believe that all the fun and joy she had encountered with Jason was suddenly gone, just like that.

It seemed like it was only yesterday that the couple was laughing and having fun…

_"Oh my God, Jason this is so amazing," Lily said as she looked out at the scenery in front of her. Jason had taken her up to the mountains for the weekend, to celebrate her birthday. He rented a cabin for them to stay in and skis for them as well._

_"I'm glad you like it," he answered as he wrapped his strong arms around her petite body. His lips instantly found her neck, and he gently kissed his way down to her exposed collarbone. _

_Lily felt herself smile as she turned around to face him, her lips immediately on his. His hands roamed her back, until finding the perfect spot, which made her tingle with pleasure. _

_Jason the lifted her up off her feet, carrying her in his strong arms. Lily let out a giggle as he headed over to their shared king size bed. _

_"What's so funny?" he teasingly asked._

_"You are," she answered joyfully._

_He then laid her down on the bed in front of him, his eyes lighting up with joy. Jason then came around to sit next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders._

_He didn't kiss her, or even expect to do anything with her. Lily and Jason just sat there instead, playfully holding hands and talking softly to each other. _

The memory just made Lily miss him more; she wanted that moment back. She wanted to be in his arms once more, as if she were protected from the dangers in the world.

She stayed there for some time, crying until there were no tears left to cry. She quickly stepped out of the shower, grabbed her towel, and headed toward her bedroom. Once there, she locked the door behind her and curled up under the covers.

She lay there, looking up at her ceiling. Her hair was soaking the white pillow case fast, leaving it stained darkly. She wanted her mind to be blank, but it was no use. Her thoughts roamed back to Jason…and even to James.

She wanted to be with Jason. She wanted to watch him eat spaghetti again, the way he always ate it messy. It always made her smile and laugh, always. But now it wasn't hers to laugh at anymore, some other girl would surely do it instead of her. She wouldn't be able to run to him with all her problems anymore, she'd have to go somewhere else. Nothing was hers anymore; nothing that involved Jason.

And James; he had Emmy once again. He wasn't alone in the world anymore as she was. He would be able to hold and comfort his girlfriend whenever he pleased, as Lily sat with no one there in the world but herself.

…

James sat in his bedroom, sitting in his bed. He should be happy, right? He had Emmy back now; he had his true love back again. But for some reason it didn't seem enough, just having her back.

For some reason, his mind lingered back to Lily Evans. He could picture her clearly; her vibrant red hair, sparkling green eyes, pale, smooth skin, gentle touch, and her perfect smile. He wanted it all for himself; he wanted to see her again.

He couldn't do that though. He couldn't do that to Emmy; dump her for Lily. After all, he had genuine feelings for Emmy; Lily just satisfied his lust. Besides, Lily didn't want him, she wanted that Jason fellow back again, her ex-boyfriend.

He couldn't have both of them, he really couldn't. Then a thought came over him; 'Why couldn't he?' After all, he already had Emmy back, and the passion shared between himself and Lily was too strong to ignore. So why couldn't he have them both? All he needed to do was make sure that Lily and Emmy never found out about the other, which would be easy enough, right?

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Okay, sorry this chapter took so long for me to post. But I actually did erase everything that was in the original chapter and started from scratch, just keeping the main idea. Well, I hope you all like it and please review!


	7. Lolicia's

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to fuzzycat982, KLLRS, Muzzy-Olorea, pale pink roses, dee, and Black's Gurl for reviewing the original version! And thanks to xxxMs.Mexxx, lilred-07, Flame Of Desire, hpjsr, siriuszsecretlover, bananilla, hpandfriendsruletheworld, Di, Kristanna, ori-chan, Hawaiian Chick-a, Rose Angelz, real-eyes-realize-real-lies212, perla, Stephanie, and IcyFire 4 for reviewing the new and improved version! You guys are the best! And sorry its taking me so long to post, I'll try not to let it happen again!

* * *

"Okay Lils, I'm tired of seeing you sitting on your ass all day. Get up, we're going out," Carina informed Lily.

It had been almost two weeks since Jason had broken up with Lily and all she did was mope around the apartment. For a few days she had even sent an owl to work saying that she was too ill to come in. However, Carina had eventually made Lily go, complaining that now that she was out of the job somebody needed to pay the rent.

"Carina, I don't want to go anywhere. I perfectly fine staying here," Lily told her friend.

"No you aren't missy. You've been like this for far too long. So get up off the couch, go take a shower, get dressed and meet me back here," Carina demanded.

Lily started to protest, saying, "Carina, it's too soon to go out."

"It's too soon my ass. Get going now!"

"Can you at least tell me where we're going?" Lily questioned.

"We're going dancing!" Carina responded, her eyes were burning with excitement.

Reluctantly, Lily got off the couch and got ready for the night out.

About an hour later, both girls were ready to go. Carina had on a tight red dress. It was a spaghetti strap dress with a revealing neckline. It was cut short, reaching less than halfway down Carina's thighs. The end of it was somewhat fringed, making it appear that it had several layers to it. Her shoes were black and strapy, adding nearly three inches to her height. Carina's blonde hair was loose, falling down to the midpoint of her back. Her eyes had a mischievous look to them.

Lily looked amazing as well. She was wearing a zebra print miniskirt with a black top. The top was a spaghetti strapped shirt, like many of Lily's clothes. The neckline came to a V, barley showing her breasts. Lily was wearing shoes almost identical to Carina's, just a little bit shorter heel. Her hair was pulled back into a half up, half down sort of style. The part which was pulled back was put up in a sloppily done bun. Needless to say, Lily looked stunning.

"Alright, let's go," Carina said.

They each then apparated over to the best salsa dance club in all of Wizard England, _Lolicia's._

_Lolicia's _was crowded when the girls arrived. There wasn't much space to move on the dance floor. The loud music was engulfing and the atmosphere was incredible.

Lily and Carina each made their way over to the dance floor, waiting for some guy to ask to dance.

In no time at all, Carina was on the dance floor. The guy she was dancing with was very handsome. He had dark brown hair and baby blue eyes. Lily watched as Carina and her mystery man moved to the music. His hands were on her hips, and he was eyeing Carina's slender body.

Lily then felt hands wrap around her waist. She turned and saw a tall, gorgeous man. He had blonde hair which fell slightly in front of his brown eyes. The two dancing looked mesmerized. She was shaking her hips to the rhythm of the salsa song, and his eyes lingered up and down her body.

Just as Lily was beginning to enjoy herself, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw James Potter. He had a mischievous look in his eyes, and he asked, "Do you mind if I cut in?"

Before the blonde could even answer, James ripped Lily away and held her in his arms. A new song came on the speaker and he placed just one hand on Lily's waist and held her hand with the other. Lily felt shivers go up her spine as soon as he had touched her.

He held her trembling body close to his, a daring grin upon his face. "You're beautiful," he whispered into her red locks.

Lily felt her heart race faster. She could feel how close his lips were to her ear, his breath on her skin. All she could think about was how bad she wanted him to kiss her. In fact, any girl would want that; with a devilishly attractive man at her fingertips.

He moved his head away though, staring out at a space behind Lily, which only made her feel more lust and hatred all together. He had teased her, and then left her there without even a kiss to savor.

She then realized that he wasn't the only one that could do that, she could play the game just as well.

She took her own hand off of his shoulder and seductively ran it down his chest. Her own eyes suggested mischief, yet wouldn't just let him have his fun.

"Lily," he mumbled into her ear.

"Yes," she sweetly said while forcing her own body closer to his- closing the gap completely.

His eyes lit up, although he tried desperately to hide it. Lily saw though, she could see the passion inside him. She knew that he wanted her badly- almost as badly as she wanted him.

He leaned his head forward just a bit, their lips almost touching. Lily felt her heart beat faster and faster as she realized his intentions. This is what she had wanted, she had wanted this kiss.

Their lips finally reached, but only for a brief moment. But in the moment, her heart was overwhelmed with excitement. It was as if all the energy from the dance floor had been converted into that simple, tiny kiss. It was wonderful.

Then the song ended, and Lily had expected James to release her back into the crowd. However, he didn't let her go. Instead he placed both hands on her hips, making her tremble underneath his touch. The song was upbeat and Lily couldn't fight the urge to move her hips to its rhythm. James's eyes lingered up and down her body, taking in her swaying hips, sexy outfit, and devious eyes.

Lily could feel he watching her every move, she shuddered under his gaze. His eyes finally made it back up to her face, and she gave him a look that said 'come and get me.'

He moved closer toward Lily's sweating body, making little space between them. She could hear her breathe become heavier, the attraction between them was inevitable.

James looked into Lily's eyes and saw a scandalous appeal to them, making her look even sexier than before.

She saw that James was enticed by her every move, and she wanted that. She wanted him to forget all about Emmy and only remember her, only remember that brief kiss, only remember what they had done. And it seemed that Lily's wish was happening.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Please review and tell me what you thought about chapter 7! And also, Black's Gurl asked me to email her when I posted a new chapter for this story, and I said to myself, "Wow, that's a really good idea." So, if anybody would like me to email you when I post another chapter for Love Affair, you can either email me your email address or put it in a review, and I'll add you to the list! I find this very helpful for those of you who a) are not a member of , or b) don't want to receive emails notifying you that my other story Loving You, has been updated, but wanting to know when this one has been updated!


	8. Jason

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to LeslieGlady, Black's Gurl, angelfire33, miss-mags-ak, Muzzy-Olorea, oceanjewel, Banana Princess, fuzzycat982, pale pink roses, Ambry, reesespeices88, TigerLily, and dee for reviewing the original version! And another thanks to Rose Angelz, TheBeautifulLetdown, ori-chan, xxxMs.Mexxx, hpjsr, Skye Renegarde, and ditzychick1228 for reviewing the revised version!

* * *

"So Lily, did you have fun last night?" Carina asked. It was about 10 o'clock in the morning and the girls didn't get back last night until nearly 4:00 a.m. Lily was just grateful that she didn't work on Saturdays.

"Yeah Carina, it was fun," Lily answered as she poured herself a steaming cup of coffee.

"You know, I wasn't going to say anything, but that guy you were dancing with the whole night, you know, that guy with that black hair. Well, he's really hot. And the two of you looked amazing together," Carina told her friend.

"Yeah, it was fun," was all that Lily responded with. The memory of the dance floor came flooding back into her mind. She melted underneath his touch, and her heart sped up when she caught him looking at her. And the kiss was burnt into her mind like fire. She could still feel his lips against hers, and magic that the kiss produced was startling. Lily got butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it, and shivers ran up her spine. The kiss was incredible, making it very hard for her to forget James. Not that she really wanted to forget James, he was amazing, and he seemed so different from when they were in their seventh year and dating. He was so much more remarkable. And just thinking of him, and the kiss, made her tremble with pleasure.

"Did you get a name?" Carina asked hopefully, snapping Lily's thoughts back into the conversation.

"No, he never told me," she replied. 'And there I go again, lying to my best friend,' she thought to herself. She didn't want to tell Carina about James, not even dancing with him.

"What about you, pick up any hot guys?" Lily questioned.

"No, well, there was this one guy that was really hot, but it didn't work out."

"How come?" Lily asked.

"Well, we had been talking at the bar and stuff like that. It was really fun, he's such a nice guy. But then he said that he wanted to introduce me to his 'life partner'," Carina explained.

"Oh, I see," Lily replied while trying her hardest to hide a smile.

"Are you laughing at me?" Carina asked, her eyes were wide with amusement.

"No," she answered, but then laughed anyways.

Carina smiled as well, and added, "Damn, I think that I must be jinxed or something like that."

"No, Carina, you are not jinxed…You'll find someone---eventually."

"Way to make me feel better, you just like rubbing it in my face," Carina said.

"I am not. Besides, it's not like you haven't had a relationship in your life before," Lily told her.

"Yeah, but I haven't had any good ones."

"What are you talking about Carina?" Lily asked. "I'm sure you've had one good relationship before."

"Hmm, let's think back, first there was Shayne, then Monty, then Tyler, then Emmett, then my boss tried to feel me up and fired me because I won't let him, and now I go after a gay man," Carina explained, counting the men on her fingers as she said their names.

Lily remembered when they went to Hogwarts and Carina dated Shayne in their fourth year. It turned out that he had only asked her out because of a game of truth or dare. And Monty was in their sixth year, he turned out to be only dating her because he thought he could get her to sleep with him. Tyler was in their seventh year, and like Monty just wanted a good shag. Emmett was pretty recent, only four months ago. He ended up being a death eater, trying to get Carina on the side of Lord Voldermort. 'Poor, poor Carina,' Lily thought to herself.

"Carina, don't worry about it. I mean, you are going to find the perfect guy for you, eventually," Lily assured her friend.

"I don't know Lils, I mean I just go for all the wrong guys."

"Really, don't worry about it. I promise that you'll find someone perfect," Lily told Carina again.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm going to go take my shower now."

… 

Once Carina had gone off to the bathroom, Lily lazily got her wand and flicked her hand, saying a simple charm that would pour her breakfast for her and send it in front of her place at the table.

She was just about to take a bite of her muffin when she heard a knock on the door. Lily was in no mood to talk to anyone, but it would be rude to leave the person standing there.

"Just a second," she called out as she gathered her bathrobe and pulled it on.

She went to the door opened it, and was surprised to see Jason standing there.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" she asked.

"Lily, I'm sorry, I really am. I was a jerk, and I'm so sorry," he began. Lily watched him, he looked very uncomfortable having to grovel for forgiveness. "I made the worst mistake by letting you go, and I've been miserable for the past two weeks. Please, can you forgive me?"

'Oh this is only too perfect,' Lily silently said to herself. This was the moment that she was waiting for, he had coming crying back to her, and she was going to make him pay. 'No more miss nice girl,' Lily thought. She was going to humiliate him, it was the perfect opportunity, and she desperately wanted revenge for dumping her.

She had spent many sleepless nights imagining this moment, and now was her chance. She was going to tell him off, she was going to humiliate him, and she was going to make him pay for messing with her.

She could see it now-

_"Lily, I'm so sorry, I really am. Can you ever forgive me?" Jason would ask her. He would have such a pathetic look on his face, his eyes silently pleading for forgiveness. _

_"Why should I forgive you?" she would ask him. _

_"Because, because I love you." His eyes would become slightly watery at that, trying to truly showing her how awful he felt for leaving her in such an emotional wreck. _

_"You love me? You love me? Well, if you really loved me, then why did you break up with me in the first place?" she would wisely ask him, an expectant look upon her own face. _

_"I don't know why. I was an idiot to say the least," Jason would tell her, a desperate look in his eye. _

_"Yeah, to say the least," she would smartly respond. _

_"Please, Lily, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" _

_"You know, Jason, I really can't. And honestly, I'm glad we broke up. I realized that I deserve much better than what I had, much better than you. So, if you could please get out of my house," she would tell him. _

_At that statement, Jason would have a distressing look on his face, almost on the verge of tears. He would glance at her for one last glimpse at her turned the corner and out the door- out of sight forever. _

Lily looked over at him, he looked pathetic and hopeless, just as she had imagined, yet she felt bad. He had made a mistake, everybody makes them. Of course, his had hurt her badly, but that didn't mean she had to get her revenge. Lily stared him in the eye, and she saw pure hope that she would accept him. She decided that maybe her revenge wasn't the best of ideas, her innocent side was taking over her mind, making Lily regret even thinking of doing such horrible things.

"I don't know Jason. What you did was horrible, I don't know if I can forgive you," Lily answered.

"I deserve that, I really do. But, please, Lily, please find it in your heart to give me a second chance," his begged.

She stared at him for a while, unsure what she wanted to happen. He looked so desperate for her approval, and his eyes told her that he loved her. 'But what about James? I love being with him, he makes me feel alive. No, he has Emmy now, last night was nothing to him, that night two weeks ago meant nothing to him,' Lily reminded herself.

And with Jason, everything was always in order, nothing to throw her off, well, at least until he had broken up with her. But that feeling which she experienced with James was never present with Jason. However, Jason was ideally the perfect match for Lily. He had a good job, nice parents, and would be able to support her in any way. The lust wasn't as great though, but lust wasn't everything in a relationship. There also had to be love, and Jason was a lovable guy.

Lily thought about her options for some time, and Jason was waiting patiently for a response. As she mentally made a list of pros and cons for each guy, ultimately Jason was less of a risk than James was. With Jason, her life would be simple, or at least as simple as possible with a war against Lord Voldermort going on.

"Jason, I, well, alright. One more chance, but if you do that again, I will _never_ forgive you," Lily told him.

Relief came over Jason's previously anxious face. He smiled down at her and wrapped her in his arms. She was his again, and that's the only thing that he wanted.

He leaned down toward her face, ready to kiss her, but she stopped him. "Jason, I said I forgave you, but that doesn't mean that I want to kiss you right now."

"But, I thought you forgave me? Aren't we going out again?" he asked, his face was full of confusion.

"Yes we are dating again, I'm just still a little upset with you at the moment."

She could tell that he was hurt by her response, but that was too bad for him. She had suffered for quite a long time, and now he could suffer too.

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**Author's Note 2:** Hope you all liked this chapter. Don't worry, it's still about Lily and James, they've just got to meet up again! Please review! And let me know if you want me to add you to my email chapter update list! (My email is _dancer13347 at hotmail dot com_ I think that I forgot to mention that in the last chapter update! And it's in italics; the damn computer wouldn't let me write it in as an email.)


	9. Meetings At Work

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to pale pink roses, dee, long-haired-hippie-freak, LeslieGlady, Muzzy-Olorea, Rowan Wingfeather, Black's Gurl, Love Her Madly, mzeileen, and moony128 for reviewing the original chapter 8! And thanks to ditzychick1228, hpjsr, hawaiian chicky, angryteabag, xxxMs.Mexxx, ourlittlesecret7, hpandfriendsruletheworld, ori-chan, and Rose Angelz for reviewing the revised chapter! You guys are the greatest!

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A few days later, Lily found herself back at work. She worked in the Charms department at the Ministry of Magic. Today was another boring day, she had paper work sky high in front of her. And Lily was dreading doing it all. She would be surrounding herself in write-ups of a new charm; how it works, who founded it, what it does, just typical general information.

Lily was just starting to fill out a form on Leocadia, a charm which can detect the presence of other wizards, even if they were hidden by an invisibility cloak, when she heard a knock on her open door. She looked up to see a man standing there, a bundle of red roses in his arms.

"Are you a Miss Lily Evans?" he asked her.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Sign here please," the flower man said while taking out a small form.

She scribbled her signature onto the sheet, and then took the roses in her own hands. They were beautiful; her favorite flower.

Once the man left, Lily quickly investigated the arrangement of roses. She quickly found a small, white card which read:

_My dearest Lily, _

_I love you, sweetheart. Please don't be upset with me for canceling our date tonight. You know how much I adore you… and if you wish, perhaps tomorrow night we can make it up- at Scarlet Roses, your favorite restraint in all of wizarding London. _

_Love, _

_Jason _

She smiled as she finished reading it. True, she was upset about not being able to go to the theater tonight as Jason had promised, but Scarlet Roses was even better. She just loved the romantic candlelit dinners that she and Jason had shared there before.

Once Lily had conjured up a vase to place her roses in, she sat back at her seat to continue her work. She still had the report to write up, which was so tempting to forget about.

Then she heard another knock on the door, she looked up and saw James Potter standing there, he had a grin on his face. "Hello, Lily, thought that you might want a coffee."

"What do you want?" she snapped, completely ignoring the extra coffee that was in his hand.

"Why do you assume that I want something? Can't a guy just come up to your office to say a simple hello?"

"I don't have any bloody time for this crap, James. Just tell me what you want," Lily demanded.

"You know, I just realized that we have both worked at the ministry for the longest time, and we didn't bump into each other at all," James commented, ignoring her previous question.

"Well, we do work in separate departments," she retorted.

"Yes, well, I just came by to see if you wanted to, um, catch up a little after work?" he asked.

She ignored his question and responded, "I'm back with Jason now."

"Are you really?" He was disappointed at this, but didn't let it show in his voice or face expression. His idea of getting both Lily and Emmy may not work after all, 'but then again, you never know,' he thought to himself. "Are those roses from him?"

"Yes, now get out of here, I've got loads of paperwork to do."

"Lily," he said as he walked closer to her. James had even somehow managed to shut the door behind him with her noticing. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. "The other night, at the dance club, I had a fantastic time, being with you. And that night, two weeks ago, I can't get it out of my mind; I can't get _you_ out of my mind."

Lily's heart started to race, she couldn't believe he was saying that to her. Then, he suddenly placed his lips back on hers, more forceful this time. She felt his tongue slide against her lips, begging for entrance to her mouth. She complied his desire, opening her mouth, allowing his tongue to explore.

The kissing began to get even more passionate, and Lily was lifted up and out of her chair. James had his arms wrapped around her, and she snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her.

Lily was going weak in the knees, her only support being his strong arms to hold her balance. He gently moved her back toward to wall, giving his hands a chance to roam around the rest of her body. She felt his rough hands going underneath her shirt, making their way up toward her the hook of her bra. And she suddenly felt the hook unclasp.

She immediately ran a hand up toward his unruly hair. She ran her fingers through it, and it reminded her of their days at Hogwarts together.

Lily's mind eventually caught up with her actions. What was she doing? She had Jason back again, and she didn't need James.

She pulled her hand out of his hair, and pushed him away from her. "James, we can't do this. I'm with Jason now, and you have Emmy."

At these words he pulled back from her, a disgruntled expression on his face. "I don't care Lily," he told her.

"What the fuck do you mean you don't care?" she asked as her hands went to clasp her bra back into position.

"I don't care about them, not right now."

"James, we can't do this," she said in a scream-like whisper.

"Why the fuck not?" he asked, irritation was present in his voice.

"Because, because, it's wrong," she said.

"Cut the shit Lily, you know you want it as much as I do. I can see it in your eyes and the way you act just proves it even more," he replied.

"Oh, you know nothing about me! I can't even believe you even think that I want you, because I don't," she replied.

"Oh really? Then explain what we just did, please," he told her, his voice was full of mockery and anger.

"We were, we were, doing absolutely nothing," she replied, rage was rising in her voice.

"You can't tell me that was nothing," he yelled.

"James, I'm not about to become some cheating whore just because you want to me to," she said in her scream-like whisper.

"I'm not asking you to be a whore," his voice was full of outrage, "And I'm not asking you to cheat, you're already doing that perfectly fine on your own."

"Oh, you fucking bastard! I'm not cheating on Jason, and I never have either."

"Then what do you call what just happened? I'm pretty sure that snogging me while dating Jason is called cheating."

"Fuck you James, you know that fuck you," Lily exclaimed, her temper was rising fast.

"Oh, come on Lils, just admit it to yourself, you want me as much as I want you," James responded.

"Get the fuck out of here James, I don't need your shit anymore."

"No, not until you at least admit that you like what's happening between us," James replied.

"Fine you want to hear me say that, fine. I like being with you, and hell, you're a good shag. But that's it, nothing more!" Lily shouted.

"That's all I want to hear Lily, and that's _all_ I want to happen," he said slowly.

James looked straight into her eyes, they were burning with rage. He decided to take the chance anyway, not knowing where it would land him.

He walked toward her, grabbed her face in his hands, and leaned forward for a kiss. To his relief, Lily began to kiss him back, apparently ignoring her good, proper common sense. The kiss was exhilarating, making Lily lose herself to him, not wanting the kiss to end, but it did.

He pulled away, looking into her now open eyes, waiting for a response.

"Meet me in the Leaky Caldron at 8:00 tonight," she told him, her heart racing faster than ever before.

He nodded and left the office without another word.

She looked over at the roses that Jason had given her, and at the card that had accompanied them. She sighed and couldn't help but wonder what she had just gotten herself into.

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**Author's Note 2:** Okay, hope you guys all liked the revised chapter 9! Please review! 


	10. The Leaky Cauldron

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to lOvEiNhEaVeN, LeslieGlady, dee, Blackgirl5, banny, oceanjewel, long-haired-hippie-freak, pale pink roses, Black's Gurl, moony128, libyanauthor, Muzzy-Olorea, mzeileen, and miss-mags-ak for reviewing, it really means a lot to me! And thanks to angryteabag, hpjsr, lilred-07, ditzychick1228, TheBeautifulLetdown, Sasinak, Flame Of Desire, Rose Angelz, ori-chan, hallee87, Kristanna, Christy Corr, perla, justdreem, and NatiFcs28 for reviewing the revised chapter nine! You guys are wicked awesome!

* * *

"Wow, don't you look amazing," Carina commented as she walked into Lily's room.

Lily jumped at the voice of her friend, startled that Carina had spotted her.

"What's the big occasion? Going out with Jason tonight?" she asked.

"Um, no, actually. Well, we were going to go out tonight, but he had to cancel, so I decided to go out with a few friends form work," Lily replied, hoping that her lie was plausible.

"Jeez, where are going?" Carina asked as she looked up and down at Lily.

Lily's heart was racing- just where was a place that would explain such a sexy outfit. She was wearing a short, black dress, which just happened to show plenty of cleavage. Her hair was down tonight, looking as if she lazily brushed it that way. She wore her favorite perfume- a muggle kind that separated her form the rest of the witches in London, and her best makeup.

"Um, well, we're going out to a, a club," Lily told her.

"And Jason won't mind you dancing with guys looking like that?" Carina questioned.

Silently, Lily thought that he would prefer that to what she was really doing that night, but didn't dare say that to Carina. Instead, she said, "Since when do you care how I dress? Besides, I was planning on wearing this dress tonight, with him, but since he canceled he's the one missing out on it."

"Whatever you say, Lily, whatever you say."

"Anyways, what're you up to tonight?" Lily asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I might just hang out here tonight, maybe I'll go guy scoping," Carina sweetly responded.

"Have fun with that."

… 

Lily's mind and heart were racing as she walked into the Leaky Caldron. She was nervous about what was going to happen; actually, she knew what was going to happen. She was just nervous that they would be caught in the act. She still couldn't believe that this was really happening; she never thought that she would ever be the type of person to have an affair.

"Hey Lils," James called out to her.

"Hello," she responded brightly, then whispered to him, "How are we going to do this without people realizing what we're up to?"

"That's easy, Lils. I already reserved a room, and soon you are going to go up there, they won't know that the room's not yours. Then, about ten, fifteen minutes later I'll head up and join you," he responded.

"Alright, I'm going now," she told him.

Lily walked up the stairs toward room number eight, she was so nervous of being caught. She kept her cloak up high, hiding her face from view. Her steps were large and quick, making her reach the room in no time at all. Once she got to the door, Lily pulled the key that James had given her out of her pocket, unlocked the door and went inside.

Lily felt a sudden feeling of relaxation as she entered the room. No one had spotted her, no one would tell Jason what she was doing. Everything was going to be just fine.

She took her cloak off and draped it over a chair, checking out her reflection in the mirror. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, making her neckline more revealing and smiled at herself, completely satisfied with what she saw.

… 

James looked down at his watch, eager for the time to change. All he wanted was to go up to the room and get one glance at Lily, the beautiful redhead from his past.

Once the time had changed, he sighed and headed up the stairs.

"James?" came a voice from the top of the stairs. He knew his eyes were wide, his heart skipping a beat. Who could that be?

He slowly turned his head around and saw a man with sandy blonde hair standing there, he too, had a nervous look upon his face.

"Peter, what are you doing here?" James asked one of his very good friends.

Peter Pettigrew's blue eyes went wide, as if he was unsure about his answer. "Um, I'm just meeting a, a, a friend."

"Well, see you later then," James said before quickly making off the in opposite direction.

His heart was beating fast, nervous that Peter would suspect what he was up too. But then again, Peter too was meeting 'a friend.' He and his friend probably didn't' have the same relationship as James did with Lily, but that didn't matter. If anyone were to ask, James would just tell them he was meeting a friend.

Once he reached his room, he knocked lightly on the door, trying not to direct any attention toward himself.

"Who is it?" came Lily's sweet angelic voice.

"James, are you expecting anyone else?" he teasingly questioned.

She unlocked the door at once, revealing her in that short, sexy dress. James felt his heart skip a beat once more, she looked amazing. He eyed her up and down, taking in every aspect of her milky white skin.

"Aren't you going to come in?" she asked, her voice sounding very urgent.

"Right," he said as he took a step into the room. His eyes lingered to the large bed in the center of the room, then back to Lily. He could feel a smile emerging inside him, his stomach feeling surprisingly jittery.

They both stood in silence for a short period of time, wondering who should make the first move. James realized that it wasn't going to be Lily, so it was going to be him.

"You look beautiful," he told her. She blushed at the comment, even if it was just from James, her partner in crime. His eyes lingered over her body, taking in the curves that were in just the right places.

Lily's heart started to race as he came closer to her. His eyes looked adoring, but in a mischievous way. He closed the gap between them by placing his lips on hers. It was as if an electric shock ran through Lily's body the moment their lips touched. She had never felt that way when any other man had kissed her, not even when Jason had.

She felt the familiar feeling of James's tongue against her lips, which she opened her mouth for his pleasure. Their tongues were in a constant battle over who was going to take control, which was something that James wasn't used to; even when he and Lily had dated in seventh year, James had always been in control. This feeling was new to him, and it sparked pure bliss in his body.

James and Lily finally broke apart from each other, both having run out of breath. But James soon regained himself and tilted her head upward to have better access of Lily's neck. She groaned as he kissed her neck, Jason had never kissed her like _that_ before.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her body even closer than before. He could feel her heart beating strong in his embrace. Slowly and carefully, he led Lily over to the bed, laying fierce kisses all over her delicate skin.

Her fingers pressed hard against his back, as if holding on for dear life. She loved being this close to him, just having him in her arms. His hands slowly made their way up the skimpy dress, caressing her thighs.

"James," she whispered.

He knew exactly what that had meant, and he lifted the dress up and over her head, gazing down at her exposed body.

… 

Carina sat at home that night, a big bowl of popcorn in her hands. She couldn't believe that she was spending another night by herself. She was truly sick of it, but she could do nothing about it. So, she sat there and watched Lily's muggle TV set. Surprisingly, the movie that she was watching was fairly good, a wonderful love story between an American southern belle, and a gentleman by the name of Rhett Butler.

Her movie was interrupted, however, by a knocking sound on the door. She sighed loudly, not wanting get off of her spot on the couch.

When she reached the door she was surprised to see Jason standing there, a huge grin on his face. "Jason, what are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too," he joked.

"Yeah, yeah, but seriously," she added.

"I came to see Lily," he responded while looking into the apartment for his girlfriend.

"Um, she went out with some friends for her office," Carina told him.

"She did?" Jason asked, a look of hurt on his face. "I was going to surprise by getting off of my shift early."

"Sorry."

"Do you know when she'll be home?"

"Not a clue, lover boy…All I know is that she went to some club," Carina answered.

"Well, I guess I'll see her later then… When she comes home though, will you ask her to owl me about tomorrow?" he asked.

"Will do."

… 

The next morning James woke up and saw Lily resting her head against his bare chest. He couldn't help but smile at how beautiful she looked, and how peaceful she was. He gently placed an arm around her back, not wanting Lily to ever leave his side. In fact, James hadn't been this content in a long time, just seeing her made him smile.

He saw Lily stir slightly, and then her bright green eyes looked up and met his own hazel ones. She smiled when she saw him, and to James's surprise, didn't move her head or arm from off of him.

"Morning," he told her, slowly running his hand through her long hair.

She smiled and replied, "Good morning."

They stayed in a comfortable silence for the next few moments, before James had the nerve to ask the question that had been bothering him since the night at the pub. "Lils, how come we broke up, back in seventh year?"

Lily moved a little, taking her head off of his chest. She moved so that she could get a better look at his face, wanting to know the sincerity of the question. When she did meet his gaze, she saw how genuine the question was to him and Lily responded, "I don't know, there were lots of different reasons."

"What were they?"

Lily shut her eyes for a second, remembering that day back in Hogwarts. It was one of the hardest decisions that she had ever made, and ended up crying herself to sleep for a few days after she had broken up with him.

"Because, well, because you took me away from my friends, as I did with you and your friends," she finally told him.

"Is that all?" he asked, a look in his eyes told Lily that he was hurt that friends got in the way of their relationship.

"No," she replied, not wanting to continue, but she saw an eager look in his eyes and told him the rest, "I was getting into trouble, getting detentions for being out late, and getting points taken off. I worked so hard too, all I ever wanted in school was to prove myself, prove myself by being the ideal student. And I was that, for a while, and then you came. And when you came, I had so much fun, but I couldn't throw my goal away."

"I'm sorry I got in the way," he said earnestly.

"Don't worry about it, there was no harm done. And lastly, you pressured me, and for a long time I could resist. But after awhile, I didn't think I could trust myself. I mean, I know if I told you no, then you wouldn't have done anything, but I didn't know how long I could say no," she told him, revealing information which she had kept inside of her, never even telling Carina.

"Oh," was all he said, obviously he had been expecting that he had gotten on her nerves or something like that.

"I'm sorry, you know. I didn't want to hurt you," she told him. In reality though, she never knew if she did hurt him, but she had certainly hurt herself. She had been an emotional wreck for weeks after breaking up with James. All she did was go to classes, do homework, occasionally eat, and then go to sleep. Lily's friends had become quite concerned, and even threatened her that they would take her to the hospital wing if she didn't recover soon. Thankfully, Lily put on a smile when she was around them, showing her normal side and keeping her despairs to herself. She eventually did move on, and let James flutter out of her mind.

After hearing Lily's words, James leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, as if to say everything is alright. She smiled as he left her lips, and then snuggled closer to him, wanting him to herself, not wanting him to leave.

James felt Lily come closer to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. They rested like that for some time, not wanting to leave the comfortable silence that they cherished.

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**Author's Note 2:** Hope you all liked chapter ten! Please review and tell me what you think!


	11. Tap Dancing Lessons?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to J Black, Babigirl2246, Qui tacet consentit, lOvEiNhEaVeN, LeslieGlady, degreeofguilt, dee, ME, KLLRS, pinkraindrop21, emma-radcliffe, DarkBird1345, blaiselover, Serena van der Woodsen, perla, SweetSouthernGal, sunlitmist, Nicole, justdreem, ori-chan, Cass, cookiedoughicecream, Kirstie232, Hawaiian Chick-a, lissy, rockncourtcourt, TheBeautifulLetdown, cilverblood, miss-mags-ak, just-kim, Flame Of Desire, hpjsr, Pixy-Misa-Misao-Amano, MaD-4-u, and oceanjewel for reviewing! It means so much to me!

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"Jamie, where were you last night?" Emmy asked her boyfriend. "I stopped by your apartment, but I didn't see you."

"Oh, I was… at work, yes at work," he lied. It killed him to lie to Emmy, but Lily was worth it.

"Jamie, they have you working so much lately, it seems like I never see you anymore," Emmy complained.

"I know, I'm sorry baby," he responded. Although his work did take him away from being with Emmy, that wasn't the reason for his absence. James had been sneaking off with Lily, behind Emmy's back for nearly six weeks now. And Emmy hadn't even realized it.

"Well, we're both here now," she said, her eyes sparkling with pure lust.

James smiled at his girlfriend and walked over to her side, bending down to place a delicate kiss upon her lips, like how he did with Lily. Emmy was different though, she didn't settle for a sweet, light kiss, she wanted more which she made quite obvious to James when she reached his shirt and greedily pulled him closer to her. Her arms immediately wrapped around his body, dipping down dangerously low. Emmy pulled away for a second, gazing up at him before sending him a seductive wink and walking off toward his bedroom.

James was not the type of guy to refuse such an offer and he followed her at once, closing the door tightly behind him. And there was Emmy, sitting on his bed, her deep blue eyes were looking up at him with an innocence that almost made him feel he shouldn't be doing this: almost.

She gently tapped the bed, urging him to come closer. Hypnotized by her motives, James complied to her requests, sitting down next to her and joining his mouth with hers. He ran his hand up and down her thigh, a move that made her moan in pleasure, a move that made it so she could resist no longer. She rolled him around, straddling him on the bed. She bent forward to kiss him, light kisses along his jaw, then neck. When his shirt came into view her hands fumbled a bit on the buttons, but she tore is from his body, exposing a nicely toned chest. Her kisses ran along further, down his chest, stomach, and soon his pants blocked her way. Once those were no longer a problem, nothing but pure ecstasy filled James's mind...

**8888888888**

A few days later, Lily was once again sitting at her office, doing paperwork, when she heard a knock on the door. She looked up and saw Jason standing outside of her office.

"Come on in," she told him.

"Hey honey," he said and placed a light kiss on her lips.

"Hello."

"You know what day it is today?" he asked, a huge grin spreading from ear to ear.

"Um, Monday?"

Jason looked hurt that she didn't remember. "Lily, it's our eight month anniversary, didn't you remember?"

"Of course I did, I was just seeing if you remembered," she lied, putting on a fake joking expression.

"So, I was thinking that we should go out tonight and celebrate."

Lily's eyes went wide, she couldn't go out with Jason tonight. She had already promised James that the two of them would meet up after work. 'I could owl James and cancel,' Lily thought. But truth be told, she didn't want to cancel her plans with James. In the past few weeks she had not only felt a great amount of physical pleasure, but just being with him made her happy.

"Jason, I don't think I can go out tonight. I'm sorry," she told him.

A look of disappointment along with hurt was present in his face at these words, "Why not?"

"Oh, I've got to, um, go to my tap dancing lessons," she lied, saying the first excuse that popped into her mind.

"Since when do you take tap dancing lessons?" he asked.

"I just signed up," she answered, praying that he was too thick to realize the anxiety in her voice.

"Can't you skip it?"

"No, I'm really sorry, I can't," she told him, and then added, "It wouldn't be very nice to skip my first class, especially since I'm paying so much for the private instructor."

"Oh, well maybe once you're done we can get together," he told her.

"I'm not sure, I don't really know how long the lesson is," she lied. Her heart was racing fast. In all of the six weeks that she and James had been sneaking off, this was the first time Lily had needed to truly lie to him. Other times when she had gone off, she made up excuses that she was seeing old friends, which was somewhat true. After all, James had been an ex-boyfriend, which sort of counted for an old friend. She was lucky most nights though; she had made plans with James on nights that she knew Jason would be working late.

"Oh, well I guess I understand," Jason told her.

Lily looked at him and immediately felt guilt in the pit of her stomach. He looked so sad at her news, as if this was the worst possible thing that could ever happen to him. "How about tomorrow night we'll go out?"

"I'm not sure if I can get out of work tomorrow," he somberly replied.

"Well, you owl me tomorrow telling me if you're free at all, even if it's just for lunch, and I promise we'll have a lovely meal together," she reassured him.

"Promise?"

"With all my heart."

**88888888888**

"James, James, where are you?" Lily hissed. She was becoming impatient, here she was standing in some dark alley, waiting for James. They had decided not to go to the Leaky Caldron that night because Emmy was going there to have a few drinks with some of her friends from her old school. So, Lily and James had decided to meet in the little alley, and then decide from there where they would go.

"Lils, is that you?" came the familiar voice of James Potter.

"Yes, now where are we going to go?"

"I don't know… we can go back to my place if you'd like. Emmy won't come unexpected because of her friends being in town."

"Alright," Lily replied.

They both apparated over to James's apartment, landing with a pop.

"You wouldn't believe what I had to say to get over here," Lily told him.

"Try me," was the response.

Lily then proceeded to tell him about Jason coming in and her having to make up an excuse.

James laughed as she finished her story, "I'm flattered that you would make up such a lie just to see me."

"Don't be, or I might just leave," she responded.

"Oh, you wouldn't leave," he told her.

"And why wouldn't I?" she asked, a tone of innocence escaped her mouth, but her eyes had a mischievous look to them.

James went over to her and wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to kiss her pink lips. Lily snaked her arms around his neck, forcing him closer to herself. Once again they found themselves deep in passionate kisses, never wanting them to end.

Expertly, James picked Lily off of the ground, and she wrapped her legs around his body. He slowly made his way over toward his bedroom, and closed the door behind them. They broke away, gasping for breath, and Lily realized where he had taken her. She dropped her legs from around him, and then shoved him onto the bed. Needless to say, that shocked James quite a bit.

He stared hungrily at Lily, wanting nothing more than to kiss her soft flesh again. Lily's heart was racing as she sat on top of him, straddling his waist. She then proceeded to take off his shirt, revealing his perfectly toned muscles.

As she sat there, James stared up at her with adoring eyes. Oddly enough, he found himself thinking about Emmy at that moment, and how the two of them had been in this same position only days before. Even odder though, was that he couldn't help but think how much more he was enjoying himself tonight then the other day.

Lily bent down to kiss him, and this time it was her who was begging for entrance to his mouth. James heard a moan escape his lips as Lily nibbled on his ear lobe, whispering into his ear. James couldn't resist any longer. He flipped the both of them around, discarding their clothes once again.

Lily felt his lips against her collar bone, making her moan with pleasure. He then made his way down to her breast, kissing and teasing her. It drove Lily insane, she wanted him, badly.

"James, please," was all she managed to say before he entered her, making her moan again with delight.

Before either one of them knew what to think, it was over. They lay restless in each other's arms, taking in the moment of pure bliss. Lily and James stayed that way for quite sometime before they were interrupted by…

"Jamie? Are you home?"

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Okay, sorry for not updating in forever. I'm really sorry, but I don't' have any time any more. I'm trying though, I promise. The changes in each chapter are probably not going to be huge and significant any more. I might post old chapters, unchanged. This one was slightly modified, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please review! Oh and also, the 88888 thing is jsut where it changed scene, thats the only thing that looked somewhat decent that this site actually allowed me to put in! 


	12. Sam

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to Black's Gurl, libyanauthor, ITnee Wilcox, mzeileen, reesespeices88, moony128, pale pink roses, dee, PammaPotter, Babigirl2246, lOvEiNhEaVen, lilynjamesAAF, Niux, BoPeep, padfootandprongs4ever, Serena van der Woodsen, KLLRS, DarkBird1345, SweetSouthernGal, just-kim, 3mZ, acf8990, JenJen05, ori-chan, and Rose Angelz for reviewing chapter 11! It means the world to me!

* * *

Lily and James's eyes both went wide with fear; Emmy was at James' apartment!

"What are we going to do?" Lily whispered urgently to James.

"Jamie? Are you here?" Emmy called again, her voice coming closer to the room.

"Go hide in the closet," he whispered to Lily. She did what she was told, pulling open the closet door and jumping inside.

"I'm in my room Emmy, I'll just be a second," James called out to Emmy. He quickly pulled on his boxer shorts and a shirt, and then hid Lily's clothes under the bed. Luckily for James, he managed this in record time, because Emmy burst open the door just as he finished.

"Oh, James. I am so sorry," Emmy exclaimed. Her eyes were watering up, droplets starting to slightly fall. She ran to him and held him tightly to her chest, holding him in a deep embrace.

He hugged her back, "Emmy, what are you sorry about?"

"Oh my God, you don't know?" she asked, her voice sounding horrorstricken.

"Know what?" his voice was full of aggravation and concern.

"I don't know if I can say it, it's just so horrible," Emmy answered through fits of sobs.

"For Gods sake, just tell me already," he shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration. He knew he should be supporting her when she was upset, but he was eager to find out what could be so awful to make his girlfriend come crying to his apartment at midnight.

"It's about Sam, your partner."

His ears shot up, what could be wrong with Sam? "Go on."

"There was, she was, oh I can't say it," Emmy cried out.

"Just say it already!"

"The ministry thinks that there was a death eater attack, at her house. Both her and her sister were murdered," Emmy blurted out.

James's breathing became heavy, this couldn't be happening to him. Sam had become one of his best friends over their two years of working together. He ran his hands through his hair, not sure what he was going to do.

"Were they caught?" he asked.

"Who?"

"Those fucking death eaters who killed her," he shouted, hating how ignorant Emmy could be at times.

"No, no one was caught. The ministry thinks that they were in such a rush to get out because help was coming for Sam, that they didn't even have time to place the dark mark over the house," She explained.

"Why, why did they do it?" he asked, his voice was small and upsetting.

"The ministry doesn't know."

James still couldn't believe what had happened, Sam was such a nice person. And, she wasn't even muggle-born, or half-blood at that. She was a one hundred percent pure blood witch.

Emmy suddenly wrapped her arms around James again, holding him tight. "I'm sorry about her Jamie, do you want me to stay with you for a little while?"

"No, you should go home," he responded.

"But, Jamie, don't you need me to comfort you?" she asked.

"No, I've got to get down to the ministry, I need to find out more about this," he replied.

Emmy looked hurt at his response, all she wanted to do was hold him in her arms, and never let him go. She wanted to be with him in his time of need; she wanted him to _need_ her.

"Bye Jamie," was all she said right before she apparated to her own home.

Once Emmy was out of sight, James slammed his body down on his bed, holding his face in his hands. "Fuck," he shouted out, pure hatred of for all death eaters. He could feel his face become red and hot. Rage, fear, and sorrow filled him completely. He wanted to find out who killed her, and then he wanted to hunt them down and have the satisfaction of throwing them into Azkaban himself. At the same time he was scared, more scared then ever before. Sam was a pure blood, and if they went after her, they could go after anyone. Everyone he knew was in danger: Lily, Emmy, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and everyone else he cared about. And misery filled him as well: he wanted to curl up into a ball and stay like that forever, grieving over the loss of his friend.

"James," Lily gently said as she emerged from her hiding spot, placing a delicate hand on his shoulder.

"Go away," he muttered, not wanted her to see him like this.

"I'm sorry," she told him softly, gently rubbing his upper back.

The two of them stayed like that, letting the silence fill the room. Lily wasn't going to leave him here alone like this. And although James had told her to leave, he was secretly glad she was there. Even though she wasn't speaking, just her presence somehow made him feel better.

"Why her?" he suddenly asked.

"I don't know," she answered.

"She doesn't deserve this," he muttered.

"No one deserves this," Lily told him.

"She's done nothing wrong in her life."

"These days, most people who are murdered have done nothing wrong in their lives. Their only crime being born of muggle parents or believing that pure-bloods aren't the only ones with worthy lives," Lily somberly answered.

"They took my parents too."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Lily told him, and she truly was. She had never met James's father before, but his mother was a darling woman. Lily remembered first meeting her, at the train station. It was Christmas break of their seventh year, she and James had started dating about a month before that day. She could remember Mrs. Potter embracing her as she saw the two of them depart the train, and then the two women had talked for nearly twenty minutes before Lily realized she had to go and see her own parents.

"They didn't deserve it either."

"No one deserves to be murdered," she responded.

"Do you know what its like to lose someone that close?" he asked, a look of hatred in his eye.

"Yes."

"Having your parents murdered is like nothing else," he bitterly answered.

"I know."

"No you don't," he shouted, losing his temper.

"Don't tell me what I do and do not know, James Potter," she calmly told him. "Nine months after we graduated, my parents were killed in a car accident. A drunk driver ran into them, pushing their car off a bridge. The drunk guy, however, managed to live with only a broken leg and a few cracked ribs."

"I'm sorry."

"You're no the only one who's lost a loved one," was all she said.

He looked at her, her green eyes moist. He took her hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze of reassurance, which she returned immediately.

"You going to be okay?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah."

She gently kissed his cheek, a reassurance on her own part, letting him know that she was there for him and always would be. As they sat there together, he in her arms and she in his, slight sobs were the only noises to be heard.

**8888888888 **

Lily couldn't believe that only seven hours later she was at work again, sitting behind her desk, wishing she were anywhere but there. She couldn't get James's sad face as she left out of her mind. He didn't object to her leaving, but knew that once she left he would have to face the real world again, which was the last thing he wanted to do.

Just then she heard another knock on her door and she raised her head to find Jason standing out there, a large grin on his face. "You ready for that date of ours?" he asked.

"Shit," she whispered to herself, not wanting to face him right now.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I didn't say anything," she lied.

"You ready to go?"

"Did you know that two women were murdered last night? One of them worked in this building," Lily told him.

"Yeah, I heard about that. One of them, her name is Sam; she actually works in my department. The other girl, Sandra, works here too, down in the department of muggle studies," Jason told her.

"Did you know them?"

"Sam more than Sandra, nice girls, both of them. It's a shame," he told her.

Lily couldn't help but wonder why he was so calm. James had been devastated, and Jason seemed like this was just another ordinary day. Of course James's relationship was a little different, but Jason still knew both of them. Sam worked in his department too.

"So do you want to go somewhere?" Jason asked.

"Are you done with this conversation already?"

"What are you talking about?" Jason asked.

"The girls, how can you just blow this off so easily?" Lily asked.

"Lily, sweetie, this is my job. People are murdered all the time. With You-Know-Who and his death eaters all around we're lucky to have less than three people murdered every week," he informed her.

"That's awful," she whispered.

"I know that sweetie, so let's not talk about it anymore. I don't want you to be worried or upset," he told her.

"You don't want me to be worried?" she asked, her voice was tense and filled with uneasiness. "Worried about what?"

"All of these death eaters," he responded.

"I already know that they attack muggle borns, I'm not dumb," she angrily told him.

"I know that, sweetie, I just don't want you to worry about me. I mean with someone from my department being killed, I didn't want to talk about it too much with you and get ideas in your head of them going after me," he told her.

She had never thought about that before. Jason could be murdered at any time. James could be killed by the death eaters. Tears began to flow freely from her eyes as she thought of life without Jason…without James.

"Oh no, sweetie, I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you. I'll be fine, I promise," he told her before kissing her gently on the cheeks.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Hope you all like chapter 12! I just about doubled its length, so I hope this one is a great improvement from the old version. Anyways, please remember to review! 


	13. James's New Partner

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to kelala, J Black, mzeileen, padfootandprongs4ever, pinkraindrop21, KLLRS, moony128, libyanauthor, lOvEiNhEaVeN, lilynjamesAAF, Niux, Banana Princess, dee, oceanjewel, watervolleyhp, mereschino, DarkBird1345, Aquarius21, Daman5, 3mZ, acf8990, hpandfriendsruletheworld, Miss Myrtle360, Jade, Harry and Ginny 4eva, Juicilyn, death during life, and Ashley for reviewing either the new or the old version of chapter 12! It means a lot to me!

* * *

"Alright, James," James's boss, Edric Botolph, began, "We've got to get you a new partner." 

"Sir, I'm a big boy, I can handle myself without a partner," James responded.

"James," Edric began, but was cut off by James immediately.

"I'm a Potter, Edric, not some baby off of the street. I know what I'm doing, and I can handle this completely by myself. I mean, look at my father and my uncle, neither of them had partners and they did just fine," James explained.

"That was a different time, a time when everywhere we turned there weren't death eater attacks."

"True, but they went through the pressure and both succeeded. And let me tell you, sir, that I am just as capable as the two of them, maybe even more capable," he informed his boss.

"As true as that may be, you haven't been here long enough," but once again Edric was cut off.

"So what, just because I'm not over the hill doesn't mean I can't do it. In fact, I think it means that I'm even more able."

"Now James, you listen to me, no one can do this job alone at a time like this, _no one_," Edric finally told him.

"But sir…"

"James, you know how I feel about you and your entire family for that matter. The Potters have always been known to be extraordinary wizards, and trust me when I say this James, I have full confidence in you. But times have changed, and you can't do this alone. For god sake, I have a partner, and I'm head of the department!" Edric explained.

Seeing that James was not completely satisfied with his reasoning, Edric continued, "Besides, this guy I picked out for you, you'll love him. The two of you are beyond alike; both top aurors, young guys, and desperately in need of a partner."

"What happened to his old partner?" James asked.

"St. Mungos, was under a pretty nasty curse from one of You-Know-Who's supporters."

"Can you at least tell me who this guy is?" James questioned.

"Jason, Jason Everard," Edric told him before turning and leaving.

James knew he had heard that name before, he knew it sounded so familiar. But where did he know it from? 'Maybe I went to school with him,' he thought.

He was caught off guard when he heard someone open the door that would lead to his and the new person's office. A man came in; he had brown hair, brown eyes, and stood about an inch or two shorter than James. James stared at him, still not being able to place the mystery person.

"Can I help you?" James asked.

"Oh, hello, you must be James Potter. I'm Jason Everard," the man announced, holding his hand out for James to shake.

"It's nice to meet you," James replied, still not being able to place where he had known Jason from. His name was so familiar, even his looks were somewhat recognizable.

The two men started to make a decent conversation, and actually had a few things in common with each other. For instance, they both attended Hogwarts, however Jason was two years ahead of James and in Ravenclaw house. Both men had an interest in Quidditch as well, although James had been captain of the Gryffindor team, and Jason just cheered his team from the seats.

Once the conversation started to die down, Jason announced that he should probably start unpacking his little box of stuff from his old office. James nodded and went back to working.

In no less than twenty minutes, Jason was done and started at some paper work himself.

"Hey, I'm going to get some coffee, do you want any?" James asked.

Jason turned from his desk and replied, "Sure that would be great."

James was just about to leave when something on Jason's desk caught his eye. It was a photograph of a beautiful woman with dark red hair, she was standing beneath a tree in bloom. She picked up one of the fallen blossoms and brought it close to her face, showing her almond shaped emerald eyes. It was a photograph of Lily.

'Why would he have a picture of Lily?' James silently asked himself. 'They could be friends, I assume. But just a picture of her, of only her, that's a bit odd.'

James realized that he must have been staring because at that moment, Jason asked, "Beautiful, isn't she?"

"Indeed," James replied, his heart beating faster as each second passed.

Jason picked up the picture, admiring it, a small smile playing at his lips. "She's my girlfriend," he told James.

And that was it, the moment James knew he couldn't be in any more trouble than he was now. All his pranks from Hogwarts wouldn't add up to as much shit he was in right now. He couldn't be more screwed: he was having an affair with his partner's girlfriend.

"Do you know her?" Jason asked.

"Know her, why would I know her?" James quickly asked.

"Oh well, it's just that she was in Gryffindor too, same year in fact," Jason responded.

"Oh, um, Lily Evans, yes now that you mention it, it does sound a bit familiar. Just a little bit though, I don't believe I knew her that well. Just you know, knew that she was the red head in class that got brilliant grades," he replied. He knew he should have stopped talking after his first sentence, but he couldn't help the rambling that followed it, it just sort of slipped out.

"Of course," Jason replied, a little hesitant at his words, "Are you alright?"

"Alright, me, yes I'm fine, just fine," he responded, "Just need my coffee and I'll be better than ever."

"You sure coffee is the right thing? You seem a bit shaking," Jason told him, a truly concerned look on his face.

"Oh yes, coffee will be great, so I'd best be off getting some. Did you say you wanted decaf or original?"

"Decaf," Jason responded, his face still showing a confused and worried look.

"Right, I'll be back in just a second."

As James left the room, he let out a huge sigh. 'Dear god, what did I do to deserve this?' he questioned.

**888888**

After twenty minutes had passed, James was positive that it was time to go back into the office. With two large cups of coffee floating nearby him, James opened the door, took the coffees and placed one in front of Jason. The other he took for himself.

He was just letting the hot liquid pour down his throat when he heard the most unexpected voice.

"Jamie, baby, I've been here for nearly ten minutes waiting for you," Emmy told her boyfriend, a huge smile spread across her narrow face.

James spat out his coffee into the mug, pure shock ran through his veins, as if the day couldn't get any worse. "Emmy, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to stop by and see you, sweetheart," she answered, going over to him and sitting on his desk.

"No reason though?" he asked.

"No, just wanted to see you. I haven't been able to see you in such a long time, baby. It feels like month since we last, you know," she hinted at him.

James could feel his eyes popping out of their sockets, this could not be happening. Emmy Sellick could not have used those words, especially in front of other people. "Emmy, why don't you go home, and I'll stop by once I get out of work."

"Jamie, what's wrong, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure, because I was talking to Jason, and he said that you were acting strange," Emmy informed him.

"You talked to Jason?" he asked, looking over to see Jason smile at him.

"Yes sweetheart, I'm so happy that you finally have a new partner. I know how tough it was getting over the tragic news of Sam. But I mean, after nearly a month, they finally found you a new partner," said Emmy.

"Yeah," was all James could say.

"Well, anyways, before I go, Jamie, good news. I invited Jason and his girlfriend out to dinner with us tonight. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"What?" James asked, his voice raised very loudly.

"Out to dinner, with Jason and his girlfriend, Lily is it?"

"Yes, Lily Evans," Jason responded.

"Out to dinner, tonight?" James asked.

"Yes, baby, are you sure you're alright?" Emmy asked, placing her hand against his forehead. "You feel warm and clammy."

"I'm fine," he told her. 'Dinner tonight. Dinner tonight with my girlfriend, my partner, and the girl I'm sleeping with. This is going to be interesting,' he told himself. Then, 'What the fuck am I thinking. This is going to be the worst bloody night of my fucking life.'

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Okay, here's chapter 13! Hope you all liked it! Please review! 


	14. The Dinner

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to Black's Gurl, mzeileen, LeslieGlady, Lauren, Desolation Lily, dee, pale pink roses, Serena van der Woodsen, lilynjamesAAF, fuzzycat982, PammaPotter, moony128, crazy4billyndom, padfootandprongs4ever, gatoriris, degreeofguilt, sam, oceanjewel, lOvEiNhEaVeN, kelala, DarkBird1345, QuieroTuAmor, Harry and Ginny 4eva, Rose Angelz, blaiselover, Juicilyn, Emilyp, hpandfriendsruletheworld, Aquarius21, acf8990, sunlitmist, x0x-Mystique-x0x, xxxMs.Mexxx, Ashley, Miss Myrtle360, Marauders-rock-my-socks, Perla b., drumer girl, Nari Castaneda, and Lady Farevay for reviewing either the new or old version of the chapter! I hope you all like it! Sorry, for the long wait!

* * *

Lily stared at herself in the mirror, puckering her lips, then taking a tissue and smacking them against it. She looked at herself again, perfect. Her make-up was complete.

"Lily, are you almost ready?" Jason asked as he entered the bathroom. He was looking great that night. Lily didn't' know why, but something about him looked different, looked better than usual.

"Yeah," she responded. Her almond eyes looked straight into his, as if taking in his soul. A faint smile played at her lips.

"What is it?" he asked.

Lily snapped out of her gaze, replying, "Nothing…it's just, you look very dashing tonight."

"As opposed to usual?" he teased.

She rolled her eyes, but wrapped her arms around his neck anyways. She hated it when he would make those stupid remarks. But then again, she couldn't control her temptation. She leaned forward, and gently placed a warm, passionate kiss upon his lips. She could tell that the kiss aroused him just as much as her. She loved the feeling of his lips on hers, fiercely swelling her lips as each second went on.

"Mmm," she murmured as his lips traced her jaw line, down to her neck. He placed gentle kisses on her delicate skin, knowing that she hated seeing "love bites" any place visible to the human eye.

It was pure pleasure, a tender, sweet love. 'James, you are amazing,' she told herself.

Her entire body froze. She had just said James. This was Jason, not James. Not James.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Jason questioned, a concerned look on his face. It wasn't like her to stop while the two of them were just starting to get intimate.

"Nothing, nothing at all," she said, shaking off her previous thoughts. "But, we should get going; we don't want to be late."

"Yeah, I guess your right," Jason replied, but Lily could instantly tell that he wasn't pleased at all.

**888888888 **

It was a nice restaurant, nothing too fancy, nothing too cheap. She relaxed a bit, knowing that her outfit would be fine for the occasion. She slipped on a cute sundress; pastel green with small white flowers embroidered in it. It had small straps, no thicker than an ordinary sized pasta. So, to cover her shoulders she wore a white sweater, and on her feet were casual flats.

As they were waiting to be seated, Lily noticed James and Emmy sitting at a table on the left side of the restaurant. They were in what appeared to be a deep conversation, on what topic, Lily couldn't sense. She could tell, however, that Emmy had an extraordinary large smile on her face. And James, on the other hand, looked a bit nervous. She was curious to know what was happening between them, but having to sit close enough to overhear their conversation would be dreadful. Lily only prayed that the waiter would seat them on the other side of the restaurant.

To Lily's disappointment, the waiter led them in the same direction as James was sitting. And she started panicking as he led them toward James's table, thinking that it couldn't get much worse than sitting at the table next to him. She knew that he would be distracting, with his perfect grin and eyes that could make her feel weak in the knees.

However, it did get worse. They stopped at James's table, and to Lily's horror, Jason pulled out a chair at that table for her to sit in. Lily felt her heart speed up tremendously as she realized what was happening, James Potter was Jason's new partner.

"Hello, it's so nice to see you again Jason, and you must be Lily, it's so nice to meet you," Emmy said, flashing a big white smile at them.

"Hello," Lily responded, she was still in a state of shock about James being Jason's new partner.

"Oh, how silly of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Emmy, and this is James," Emmy said, pointing to James as she said his name.

"Hi," was all Lily managed to say.

After Jason had sat down and the waiter took their orders, Lily was settling down, thinking that maybe this wouldn't be too bad. Of course, she had to try her hardest not to steal too many glances at James, which was very hard because he looked very sexy that night.

Then Lily felt it, James's leg had brushed up against her. She looked over at him, and he grinned at her. Lily tried to hold her blush back, but she wasn't sure if she could.

"Excuse me for a second, I forgot to wash my hands before I came, and my mother always told me to wash my hands before eating, so I'm going to go do that," Lily rapidly said, needing an excuse for getting away from the table. She needed air. She needed space. But most of all, she needed to get away from James.

She quickly made her way into the ladies' room, just thinking how she really couldn't handle the night. Then she heard someone enter the room and say, "Lils, you in here?"

"James, what are you doing in here?" Lily hissed.

"Relax, I told them I was going to check on the waiter, see where the food was," he told her.

Lily let out a sigh, and then added, "James, what are we going to do? And did you know that you and Jason were going to be partners?"

"I found out today, and I don't know what we are going to do. I guess, just act natural," he responded.

"That's a little hard; you really have to stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?" he questioned.

"Like that, you know, stop looking so damn sexy," she cried out.

"But Lils, it's so much fun," he teased, and then proceeded to take another step toward her. Lily felt her heart start to beat faster, she wanted to kiss him so badly, but she knew she couldn't, not now, it was too risky.

However, James apparently hadn't thought it risky at all, and he kissed her. Lily wrapped her arms around him, and she too forgot the dangers of someone spotting them. Instead, she felt relieved to have him hold her in his arms. It was as if he took all the bad out of everything, protected her from anything that might ever happen.

James pulled away from her when he heard someone coming closer to the door. He gave her a look that said, 'what the hell do we do now?' Lily responded by grabbing his hand and leading him into a stall, which luckily came down to cover their feet. They stood there, wrapped in each others arms, breathing deeply, wondering who came in the bathroom.

"Lily," came a voice that belonged to Emmy. "Are you in here?"

"Um, yes, I'm in one of the stalls," Lily told her. "I'll be out in a second, so you go along back to the table."

James looked at her, and his teeth were biting his lower lip. Lily could feel his heart pounding next to hers. His breathing was fast, and his eyes had never shown this much fear before, at least not that Lily had ever seen. Yet, she found him irresistible at that moment. There was something about the way a bead of sweat wandered down his hairline, and the priceless look on his face that made Lily want to be with even more.

"Oh, I can wait for you," Emmy replied.

"No, don't," Lily responded, her heart racing faster and faster, catching up to speed with James's.

"Really, I'd love to, and then we can talk on the way back to the table, it'll be lots of fun," Emmy told her. Lily's eyes went wide, there was no way of getting rid of this girl!

Suddenly, an idea came into Lily's mind. "When I flush the toilet, you apparate out of here," Lily silently mouthed to James. He nodded his head, understanding what she had said. They both knew it would be too conspicuous if the 'pop' sound had occurred.

Lily's hand went to flush the toilet, and she watched as James left the stall. Once he was gone, Lily stepped out of the stall and into view of Emmy. The two women then made their way back toward the table.

**88888888888 **

"So, all three of you went to Hogwarts?" Emmy asked.

"Yes, and where did you go?" Jason responded.

"Oh, I off in a school in Ireland, where my parents live. But, once school had finished, I came back to England. You see, I was born here, and we lived here for several years, and I always loved being here," Emmy explained.

"Oh, that's fascinating," Lily told her, trying to think of something to say. Although, it was quite hard for her to concentrate on the conversation. Her mind kept on lingering back to James, back to their kiss, back to their frightful moment in the stall.

"So, do any of you remember each other from Hogwarts?" Emmy asked.

Lily gave James a stern look, and then responded, "No. Jason was two years ahead of me, and in a different house, so no, we didn't know each other."

"James, what about you?" Emmy questioned.

"Um, I somewhat remember Lily," James calmly said.

Lily was shooting death glares at him, wondering why he had brought up the fact that they had known each other.

"Really? How so?" Emmy asked.

"Well, we were in the same year and house," he replied, his eyes were trying to meet Lily's, but she wouldn't look at him. He wanted desperately to see her bright green eyes.

"Yes, well, Jamie, you were Head Boy, so I guess you would know everyone in your house," Emmy casually said.

Jason had a look of bewilderment on his face, "Wait, then you two must have known each other quite well, because Lily was Head Girl."

Lily now met James's eyes; there was alarm and worry present in her eyes. She didn't know what to say to that. But James was just grateful that she looked at him, and her delicate glow gave him everything he wanted.

"You don't say," James replied, "this is the Lily Evans that was my Head partner. Well, if I had realized that, then wow, I still can't believe it." His voice was calm, and anyone would have bought his little speech.

"Well, this must be quite a reunion between you guys, not having seen each other in so long," Emmy told them, a smile on her face.

"Yes, indeed," Lily replied politely.

"Wait, James, at work I thought you said you knew Lily, after I said her name," Jason told the group.

Lily's heart sank, what was going to happen to them? Why had James been idiotic enough to say he knew her?

"Oh, well, you see, I recognized her face. Sort of, I knew that I knew her from somewhere," James explained.

"But, when I asked you if you knew Lily, you said you did," Jason responded.

Lily felt her heart sink, why was Jason so smart? And why did he remember so much?

"Well, when you asked, I meant to say that I recognized her face, so I must have known her," James replied. He only hoped that the group would buy his story. And he was pissed at himself for saying he knew Lily, but he was even more pissed at Jason. Why did that bastard keep on asking questions?

"Oh, but I told you her name, and you said you knew it," Jason stated.

"Yes, I did know the name. I just, well, I wasn't sure who it belonged to," James said, he was nodding to make his point seem realistic.

"Okay," Jason responded, although his voice clearly sated that he was quite skeptical of James's words.

Lily could sense the tension between the two men, and decided now would be a good time to change the subject, "So, Emmy, what do you do, for a job?"

Emmy gladly responded that her cousin and she owned a dress shop in Diagon Alley. And then she went on to elaborate on the job, making Lily bored as she could possibly be.

James couldn't help but feel that Jason was suspicious of him, he kept on looking at him, an uncertainty in his face. However, thankfully, as Emmy began a rapid discussion about coming back to England from Ireland every summer, Jason's attention had left James. And James couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, he and Lily were fine, not being suspected by anyone.

**8888888888888888 **

"So, how was the dinner?" Carina asked.

"It was fine," Lily replied. She had just gotten back from the dinner, which in her opinion could not have gone any worse. The tension between Lily and James had been unbearable. All during dinner she had wanted nothing more than to lash out and kiss him. And James hadn't helped the matter either, he kept on sneaking glances at her, and would occasionally play a little game of footsies under the table with her.

"Well, I've got good news," Carina announced, pulling Lily's mind away from the dinner.

"Yeah?" Lily questioned.

"I got a job."

"Oh, good," Lily responded. She knew how badly Carina needed one, all day long she would have nothing to do, and was bored out of her mind.

"It's nothing compared to my old job, but it's something to do," Carina told her.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

"I'm the new bartender at the pub in Diagon Alley. Of course, it means that I'll be working from 6:00 until midnight, but, it's something."

"Carina, that's good for you," Lily told her, her voice full of encouragement. Of course, both Lily and Carina knew that Carina could do so much better, but at the moment, this was all that was available.

**888888888888**

"So, Jamie, how do you think dinner went?" Emmy asked. She and James were now back at James's apartment, and Emmy had decided that she would spend the night with James. Not that James was complaining about this, but he wished she would have asked first, or at least waited until he invited her in. Instead she had arrived at his apartment first, leaving James unaware of what Emmy's plans for the night were.

"It went well," he responded dully.

"Did you think that Lily was acting strange?" Emmy asked him.

James's heart sped up once more, why did Emmy want to talk about Lily? It was already hard enough for James to have been at that dinner.

"Um, what do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I don't know… I guess she just seemed a little preoccupied. And she kept on looking around the restaurant, as if she was looking for someone," Emmy explained.

"Really? Well, maybe that's just the way she is," James suggested.

"Maybe… But when I was in the bathroom, she was already there. And I swear, she wasn't alone," Emmy told him.

James was now freaking out about this, Emmy knew, Emmy knew!

"Yeah, I couldn't see anyone, but the way she acted, and I could have sworn I heard a moan from outside the door, right before I came in," Emmy told him.

James's heart calmed down a little; Emmy didn't know he had been there! He was still safe, he was still a secret. And Emmy couldn't really care about Jason, so everything was going to be fine.

"Wow," was all James mustered to say.

"Oh, Jamie, I really think you should tell Jason. I mean, if his girlfriend is cheating on him, he has the right to know."

"What? I can't do that," James exclaimed.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well, he's my new partner, and I don't want it to be ruined and have him hate me," James told her. Although that was only part of the reason, the other being that he wanted his affair with Lily to last, to last for a long time.

"Jamie, he has to know," Emmy complained.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell him," James retorted.

"Fine," Emmy said.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Okay, so I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in forever. But I have an explanation, I promise: school is very stressful and very time consuming. So, now that I'm off for summer break, I promise to update more often! Enjoy, and please review!


	15. Lily?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to Black's Gurl, mzeileen, lOvEiNhEaVeN, dee, pale pink roses, PammaPotter, moony128, kelala, padfottandprongs4ever, Minerva-witch, Juicilyn, sunlitmist, Harry and Ginny 4eva, Miss Myrtle360, evahyoung, Sara A. Malfoy, bananaslugg, BlueJeanmistress, incompetent.twitch, and drumer girl for reviewing! It means the world to me! And also encourages me to write faster, which is a bonus for all of you!

* * *

"So, Lils, what are your plans for tonight?" Carina asked as she pulled on her cloak.

'James,' she thought, but couldn't actually say that to her best friend. She wanted to though; she wanted to tell Carina all about James. She wanted to tell her how when James kissed her, she felt as if the world couldn't stop spinning, as if everyone else on the entire planet had disappeared, leaving them alone together. She wanted to tell Carina that when she caught a glimpse of him peacefully sleeping, she couldn't take her eyes off of him, just watching his gentle breathing move his body up and down made her feel right at home, never happier before. Lily wanted to tell Carina all about his smile, his perfect white teeth, his gorgeous eyes, the way he could melt her heart with that one look. She wanted to tell Carina that when she was with James, she had never felt more alive, more sexy, more everything. She couldn't though; she had to continue lying to her best friend instead.

"Umm, I don't know. Maybe I'll just stay home and start a new book," Lily replied.

"You're not going out with Jason?" Carina asked.

"No, he's got, um, a baptism to go to," Lily had said the first thing that had popped into her mind, and prayed to God that Carina would buy her pathetic lie.

"A baptism?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Isn't it kinda late at night for a baptism?" Carina asked.

"You know, that's what I said, but Jason told me it was tradition in his family to get baptisms done at 9:00 at night, on Tuesdays," Lily lied.

"Oh, well, okay. You should stop by and visit me at work then," Carina suggested.

"No!" Lily exclaimed, and then seeing the shock and hurt in Carina's eyes, said, "I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't drink ever again, and if I went to a pub, then I'd feel pressured to."

"Lils, I saw you drinking a beer yesterday," Carina told her.

"Yes, well, I made the promise yesterday, after drinking the beer."

"Why?" Carina asked.

"Because, because, it's not healthy to drink. And, that beer made me queasy," Lily fibbed.

"Alright," Carina responded, her face showing skepticism. "Well, I'm gonna go now."

As Carina left the apartment she looked back at her best friend and couldn't help but notice that she looked different. Her emerald eyes were now always timid, yet joyful. Her disappearances overnight were so often, even when she wasn't heading out to see Jason.

"Lily, are you okay?" Carina asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she answered, letting a smile out for her friend.

"If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you."

"I know you are," Lily answered.

As Lily watched her friend leave, shutting the door tightly behind her, she felt a small tear trickle down her cheek. She hated it like this; she hated the lying that went on.

**8888888**

"Jamie, are you here?" Emmy called out as she apparated into James's apartment.

"Yeah, I'm in my room," James answered.

Emmy quickly made her way toward the bedroom, and hastily opened the door. "Jamie, guess what, I've made reservations for us at that new restaurant in town, _Laetitia's_. It's booked for months, but I got us in," Emmy squealed.

James silently groaned, he had made plans with Lily tonight. And he truly didn't want to break them. As much as it hurt him to lie to Emmy, spending time with Lily made him feel amazing. He wasn't sure of he was willing to sacrifice one evening without Lily for Emmy.

"Emmy, as much fun as that sounds, I already made plans for tonight," James told her.

"Jamie, I never see you anymore," Emmy whined, disappointment written on her face.

"I know, I'm sorry, but I made plans with Remus for tonight. And I haven't seen him for nearly a month," James lied. He knew it would be safe saying he was with Remus, because Remus would definitely not come to see James tonight. And the reason for that being that he was a werewolf, and tonight was the full moon, however, Emmy did not know that bit of information.

"Can't you see him some other time?" Emmy asked.

"I wish I could, but I can't. Besides, I promised him about a week ago," James lied again. Actually, James noticed that he began lying so much to Emmy lately. He would always be telling her he had work, or it was a boy's night out, or some other lie, when in actuality he had been with Lily, taking in her sweet self.

Emmy made a look to say that she wasn't very pleased with the response.

"You should bring a friend of yours, or your mum, or someone else," James suggested. "That way, you can tell me all about it, and I know I'll wish I had been there."

"Fine, but I'll see you tomorrow," Emmy responded. She then leaned in and gave James a light kiss before leaving the apartment.

**88888888888 **

Lily looked at herself once more in the mirror, pleased at her appearance. She wore her hair down tonight, which James loved very much. He always told her that she looked beautiful with her hair flowing down like that. And when James loved the way she looked, she felt sexier then ever, a feeling that she longed for.

She then went to the fireplace, threw in the floo powder, and was then departed to the Leaky Cauldron. She looked around a bit, but didn't see James anywhere. So, she took a seat at their usual table, right in the rear of the pub, and sat, waiting for him.

A few moments later, she saw him enter the pub. He went straight to the reception area, waiting to book a room. He looked directly at her, but didn't smile. Instead, he just quickly turned his attention elsewhere in the room until the innkeeper came to see him.

Lily looked around the pub; their so many people there, some of them not even people. There were old hags drinking way too much, a couple of young wizards, who Lily imagined had just turned old enough to grab a few hardcore drinks. Lily sighed, knowing she didn't really belong in a place like this.

James came back to her then, an angry look upon his face. "There out of rooms," he stated.

"What? They can't be," Lily whispered.

"They are," James replied.

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"I guess, we'll just see each other another day," he told her, an unpleasant look on his face.

"Wait, I've got an idea. Carina's at work, and should be until midnight. We can go to my apartment, you'll just have to leave a bit early," Lily suggested.

"Let's go."

**88888888888888 **

"Jason, I have something to tell you."

Jason looked up from his work, surprised to see a visitor at this hour. In fact, he was the only one left in his section of the ministry. And most likely one of the few remaining people left in the entire building.

"What is it?" Jason asked.

"Well, this is really hard, but it's got to be said. I think that Lily's cheating on you."

Jason stared at the woman in front of him, and couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. Who was she to make up these stupid lies? Lily would never cheat on him; the couple was so devoted to each other. She loved him, and he loved her, nothing would ever change that. They were meant to be together, and he wasn't going to let this woman try to mess this up.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Jason demanded.

"At the restaurant, I heard her in a stall, but she wasn't alone," the woman answered. "And she was acting very timidly, as if she were trying to hide something."

"Get the fuck out of here, and take your bull shit with you," Jason told her, despising this woman as each second passed.

"I'm just trying to help."

"Then get out of my business, and stop making up lies about my girlfriend," Jason shouted.

"You're not being reasonable. I know that it must be tough, learning this information, but you need to believe me."

"I said get out," he bitterly told the woman.

Sighing, she left, but not without first saying, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Jason was still in a state of shock about this new information. Anger was boiling in his veins, Lily was truthful to him, he knew it. He was so angry at that dratted woman though, what did she know anyways? Clenching his fists, he whammed his left hand into the nearest wall, blowing a hole right through it, and unfortunately, breaking every bone his hand.

"Damn it!" he shouted as he performed a healing spell. He needed to get out of the office, he needed fresh air.

**888888888888**

In no time at all, Lily and James had apparted over to Lily's apartment.

James made his way over to Lily, and seeing the eagerness in her eyes, landed a kiss on her pink lips. She moaned as his tongue slid into her mouth, she loved this. She loved being with James, she loved how he could make her weak in the knees with just one kiss.

Her hands made their way up toward the messy mop that he called hair, and she pulled him closer to her body, making him moan as he felt her press against him. His hands slid up the back of Lily's shirt. James loved how silky Lily's skin always felt against his rough hands.

James made his way down to Lily's neck, and she tilted her head to give him better access of her soft skin. She felt his tongue hit that spot in her neck which made her wild with pleasure. It seemed that James always knew when and how to make Lily feel this way, and Lily loved him for that.

As the kissing became more intimate, the couple found themselves on the couch with James's shirt off, and they were working on getting Lily's off as well.

With the little room that they had to turn, Lily managed to get on top of James. She kissed him intensely on the lips, and then slowly made her way to his collar bone. She placed small kisses on his jaw line, then his neck, and finally her destination, the collar bone. She heard him release a moan as the intensity of her kisses became fiercer.

Lily was pleased when she heard him say her name softly; she knew she was enticing him, and that was exactly what she wanted. Her hands made their way to his perfectly toned chest, and her lips were not far behind. As she laid sweet butterfly kisses on him, James pulled Lily's shirt off, revealing a black, lacey bra, which just turned James on even more than before.

As the kisses Lily was giving James increased, her hands made their way down to his belt, where Lily found a huge bulge not far from them. This made her even more erotic than before, knowing that she was doing an excellent job at making him hers for the night. And although she struggled with the belt, she finally managed to pull it open, and his pants were soon discarded from the couch.

Lily was surprised when she felt his strong arms pull her back toward his lips, which she kissed like there was no tomorrow. During the kisses, Lily didn't even notice that James was back on top now. He pinned her down, and traveled his lips down her neck, leaving a wet trail behind him. James was just about to lay kisses on her collar bone when…

"Lily?"

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Left you all at a bit of a cliffhanger, sorry about that. I promise I'll update soon to make up for it. Anyways, hope you all liked the chapter, and please review!


	16. Caught

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to lOvEiNhEaVeN, theoneandonly, dee, britboyzrsexy78, LeslieGlady, Desolation Lily, pale pink roses, me, watervolleyhp, pasmosa, James's Lily26, Black's Gurl, PammaPotter, Niux, fuzzycat982, moony128, Black and Potter, InLoVeWiThJaMeS pOtTeR, coco, jenn, x0x-Mystique-x0x, Juicilyn, sunlitmist, Harry and Ginny 4eva, DarkBird, Miss Myrtle360, Sara A. Malfoy, Ashley, evahyoung, xxxMs.Mexxx, PorcelainxDoll, and Emily for reviewing! You guys are truly amazing!

* * *

"Lily?"

The room went silent. The only noises to be heard were the two fast beating hearts of Lily and James. No one could move, too stunned by the event. Lily and James were both stiff as a board; never had it occurred that they would be caught.

"Oh my god," came Carina's voice from the doorway. She couldn't believe that she had just walked in on Lily with a guy on the couch, and not with Jason, but with some guy that Carina had never even met before.

Lily blinked her eyes once, hiding back the tears that filled her eyes. She felt James get off of her trembling body, retrieving his clothing. He made a quick exit through the door, and Lily watched as her accomplice in crime left her alone to be interrogated. He turned to look at her from behind Carina, giving her a look that said, "I'm sorry." What he was sorry for, Lily didn't know. Was it leaving her to be questioned alone? Or for being caught in the first place? Or both?

Ashamed, Lily sat up and pulled her shirt back on, running a hand through her hair. Carina remained standing where she was, giving Lily a look of disgrace.

"What are doing?" Carina asked. "Or better yet, who are doing?" she yelled, anger rising through her bloodstream.

Lily stayed seated on the couch, dropping her head into her hands. All she wanted right now was a hug, and someone to wipe away her tears.

"Answer me," Carina shouted, slamming the front door as she spoke.

"I'm sorry," Lily told her.

"Don't say sorry to me, you didn't cheat on me," Carina snapped.

"I know, I know," Lily moaned.

"Who is he?"

"James Potter," Lily answered.

"James Potter? As in the James Potter you went out with in seventh year?" Carina questioned.

Lily shook her head yes, not wanting to even speak to her best friend. She had never felt so ashamed in her entire life before.

"What's the matter with you? Jason is a great guy; a hell lot better that James Potter!"

"I know Jason is a great guy."

"Then why do this, Lily?" Carina asked, her voice was bit gentler this time.

"I don't know," Lily cried. Her tears were now an unstoppable force, and her body was shaking back and forth from the crying.

Carina took a seat next to Lily, slowly rubbing her back, a comforting effect that her own mother used on her.

"What's wrong with me?" Lily asked herself aloud. "I had a good relationship, but I messed up, I messed up so badly." She looked up at her best friend, her mascara was running down her cheeks, her eyes were puffy and red, and her face was flushed from the exertion that the tears brought upon her.

"How long has this been going on?" Carina asked.

"A long time…Since Jason and I first broke up. I've been lying to everyone, you, Jason, everyone. And I'm sorry," Lily told her friend, "I'm truly sorry."

"So, all those times you couldn't come out with me, were because of him?"

"Yes."

"And all those times when you didn't come home. You weren't too drunk to find your way home, and your friend from work, she was never really sick," Carina stated.

"I'm sorry."

"The tap dance lessons, are they fake too?"

Lily felt a new batch of tears flood her eyes, and she shook her head yes. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

"So am I."

Lily looked down, even more ashamed then before.

"How did it start?" Carina asked.

"That night that Jason dumped me, I was depressed, and I went to a pub. James was there, and he was depressed too, for just being dumped also. We had a few drinks, and ended up going back to his place," Lily started, and then went into detail about how their relationship blossomed. By the end she told Carina about how James made her feel inside and how hard it was for to keep lying, but to stop would be even worse.

"Wow," Carina responded after Lily finished her story. It took two hours to tell, but Carina was never bored with the words that Lily spoke.

"Wow, that's all you're going to say?"

Carina smiled, and then said, "Do you love him?"

"James?"

"Both of them, James and Jason."

"I don't know. I care so much for them both," Lily answered.

"Lily, I know you, and I know that you can't possibly care for two men equally. It's not your style. You always know what you want, and who you want. My gosh, even at Hogwarts you never had a crush on two guys at once," Carina told her.

"I don't know. I mean Jason, he's great. He's solid, has a good job, his parents and I get along, and he's sweet. He makes me laugh, and knows when to comfort me. He's there when I need someone to lean on. He's the perfect guy," Lily answered.

"And James?"

"James, well he is certainly special. He can be so goofy sometimes, and such a charmer. He makes me feel special. He makes me laugh, even when he didn't intend on it. Sometimes he can be dreadfully romantic, and other times he can be awfully unorganized and drives me crazy. But even during the craziness, which would usually drive me mad, I still like being around him. He makes me feel like me, if that makes sense at all… When I'm with him, I feel like I can say anything and everything, and it won't matter, because he'll still want to be with me," Lily confessed.

"Does Jason make you feel like that?" Carina asked, although she already knew the answer.

"I feel like me, but it's not the same me as when I'm with James. I don't know if you know what I mean."

"I know," Carina answered.

Lily looked at her friend, and was thankful to have her in her life. Anyone else may have called her a whore, which was how she felt when she was caught. But not Carina, she was there for her. She helped her sort everything out and so much more. She was a true friend, once that Lily wouldn't ever forget.

"Thanks," Lily said as she leaned over to give Carina a hug. "Thanks for everything."

"No problem. But, Lily, seriously, I think you know what you need to do."

Lily sighed, knowing Carina was right. She had to let go of one man, she needed to be a one man woman once again. "I don't know what to do," Lily answered. "I like them both, and can't decide between the two."

"Lily, sweetie, from everything you just told me, it sounds like you kind of love James," Carina told her.

"I don't know…I might, I mean he makes me feel so happy, and I can't imagine being without him."

"Tell him," Carina insisted.

"And what about Jason?"

"He deserves the truth, don't you think?" Carina answered.

"This isn't going to be easy," Lily replied.

"Well, that's what happens when you get yourself into messes like this," Carina responded.

"Let me sort out things with James first, before I tell Jason," Lily said.

"Do whatever you'd like," Carina replied, her voice was very supportive.

"Okay, I need a piece of parchment," Lily announced.

"What? You can't tell him in a letter!" Carina exclaimed.

Lily laughed and said, "I know that, I'm writing to James."

_Dear James, _

_There is something really important that I need to talk to you about. Please meet me at Roy's Coffee and Bakery, at 4:00 today. _

_Yours truly, _

_Lily _

She glanced at it, licked it shut, and sent it off with her owl. Lily looked over at Carina and saw a puzzled look, and then went to explain what she planned to do when meeting with James.

Carina yawned, and then said, "Well, I don't' know about you, but I've had a very tiring day. I need some shut eye."

"I completely agree," Lily answered.

"I feel like I could fall asleep right here," Carina commented.

"Then let's do that," Lily responded, "Let's stay out here and fall asleep talking to each other, just like old times."

"Sounds like a plan," Carina answered, conjuring up two mattresses completed with sheets, blankets, and pillows.

It wasn't until nearly half an hour later that they were settled in their beds, staring up at the dark ceiling. They both laid there in silence, the tiredness that had previously owned them seemed to drift away while getting ready for bed.

"Carina," Lily said after some time.

"Yeah."

"I wasn't happy."

"Not happy with what?" Carina asked, propping herself up with her arms.

"With Jason…I think that's why James and I stayed together, even though Jason and I got back together," Lily answered.

"How weren't you happy?"

"I don't know… I don't think I was happy with everything the way it was. I mean, it seemed that Jason and I were so perfect for each other. He's got everything that I always wanted in a guy. But, but I think that the fact that we were so perfect for each other drove me away. It wasn't exciting, you know, having to deal with things," Lily told her best friend.

"Well, you know what they say: there's no such thing as perfect," Carina responded.

"Well, I think there is, and there should be a new saying: perfect isn't always best for the heart," Lily replied.

"Wow, Lils, that's pretty profound, for you anyways," Carina joked,

"Very funny," Lily retorted.

"Night."

"Night."

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Okay, hope you all liked it! For those of you who read the original story, this is where I'm doing major changes. The HUGE part of the original one will still be in it, just during later chapters, so don't get mad a me for putting it in during the next two chapters like the original had it. I promise it WILL be in the story. I just need to do some other stuff first, some stuff that wasn't in the original. Anyways, please review! Reviews make me write ten times faster! And I'm going away for a week on Saturday, so if I get reviews, I may be tempted to write something Saturday morning before I leave. Oh, and thanks for reading!


	17. 24 Hours

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to Black's Gurl, lOvEiNhEaVeN, lilynjamesAAF, LeslieGlady, libyanauthor, Niux, degreeofguilt, dee, Eihwaz and Lourdaise, fuzzycat982, britboyzrsexy78, pale pink roses, watervolleyhp, mzeileen, oceanjewel, coco, PammaPotter, InLoVeWiThJaMeS pOtTeR, Hyper-Shaman-Girl, Lauren, moony128, Kimmy, Sara A. Malfoy, x0x-Mystique-x0x, Harry and Ginny 4eva, bluejeanmistress, DarkBird1345, Ashley, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, and onelystarz for reviewing! It means the world to me!

* * *

Later that day, James was at a local bakery, waiting for Lily. He had received a letter from her earlier that day, and James kept on looking down at it, wondering what she wanted to talk about.

The letter had read:

_Dear James, _

_There is something really important that I need to talk to you about. Please meet me at Roy's Coffee and Bakery, at 4:00 today. _

_Yours truly, _

_Lily _

James couldn't get the letter out of his mind all day, what could possibly be so urgent? Ideas were running through his mind, had Lily's roommate told Jason? After all, Jason had called in sick today. And yesterday he was feeling just dandy. 'Oh, God, Jason knows, otherwise he would have come into work today.'

However, James was distracted from his thoughts when Lily arrived and took a seat from across him.

"Lils, what's wrong?" James asked.

"Nothing, I just need to talk to," she responded.

"Does Jason know? Because he wasn't at work today," James asked, urgency in his voice.

"No, he doesn't know anything. I haven't told him anything yet," she replied.

"Why wasn't he at work then?" James asked.

"I don't know, but it wasn't because of what happened." Lily answered.

"Thank god," James sighed, but then asked, "Then what's up?"

"Last night, when Carina came in and saw us, and then you left, well, Carina and I were talking. I told her everything, all the lies, how you had Emmy, and how long it had been going. And I realized that I couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't keep on lying to everyone just to spend secret time with you. It's not fair to them, or me…Also, I came to the realization that I care about you a lot, more than I ever knew. And well, James, I'm going to call it off with Jason, for you," Lily spilled; her heart was beating fast as the words left her lips.

James couldn't believe what he was hearing; he couldn't even comprehend what she had been saying. So, he just stared at her with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"And James," Lily continued, "I won't let you do it either. So I'm giving you 24 hours to decide if you would rather be with Emmy or with me."

"But, Lily."

"I don't want to hear anything now. If you choose me, then tomorrow you will meet me here at 4:00. If you choose Emmy, don't come at all, and we'll pretend that these past few months never happened. We'll both go back to our normal lives, and not tell anyone about us," Lily told him, her outward appearance was strong and bold, but on the inside she was falling apart. She was worried she would mess up her perfectly planned conversation, or worse, that he wouldn't return her love.

"Lily."

"James, you have 24 hours, if I were you, I would go home and think really hard about this," was all she said before getting up from the table and walking away.

**88888888**

When James got home that evening, his mind was lost in thought. He had never been faced with such a tough decision in his entire life, and it wasn't fair for Lily to put this much pressure on him. Especially such a life changing event, his entire future could be altered depending on who he picked.

"What am I thinking?" he asked himself aloud. "I can't just think of this like their objects, their people, both beautiful, strong women."

Then he heard a knock on the door, and when he opened it, he found Emmy on the other side. "Jamie, baby, you're home! I wasn't sure if you would be, but I just had to check."

"What is it?" he asked.

"You're never going to believe this," she told him, a huge smile on her face.

"What?"

"Well, you know how I've always loved the clothing store,_ Jacobin's, _well, they had an ad in the paper this morning, saying that they were looking for someone to head their lingerie department. So, I thought, well, why not go down there and try, I mean, why not? So, I get down there, and Jacobin himself was personally doing the interviews, and well, he said I got the job!" Emmy exclaimed, almost screaming with excitement by the end of her tale.

"Emmy, that's amazing, I'm very proud of you," James told her, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"I don't think I've been this thrilled since I met you," Emmy told him, a huge smile still present on her face.

That stung him deeply, her last comment. How could he not be with her when he meant so much to her?

"Congratulations, sweetie," James responded.

"Thanks. And you know, whoever said that a girl who co-managed a simple clothing shop couldn't make it to the top of an industry of clothing, was obviously mistaken," she commented, beaming even more than before.

"Well, if anyone could do it, you could," he told her, only making her bask in happiness even more.

"Well, Jamie, I've got to go and tell my family now. I just wanted to let you know first. I love you sweetie, bye," Emmy said as she left the apartment.

"Bye…I love you too," James said as she left.

He wandered over to the couch, plopping down and propping his feet on the coffee table. He knew it wouldn't be an easy decision to make, choosing between Lily and Emmy. Both women were wonderful, each different, but both wonderful.

He tried to imagine his life with each one of them, trying to think of which he would prefer. He shut his eyes, envisioning his life with Emmy…

_James was lying in his king sized bed, a beautiful woman as his side. He glanced over to see Emmy smiling at him. _

_"What are you thinking about?" she asked him. _

_"Nothing, just how much I love you," he answered. _

_"Mmm, I like that," she replied. _

_"Good." _

_"We should probably get up, breakfast is probably ready," Emmy told him. She yawned and got up, pulling on an elegant bathrobe, covering her silky nightdress. James watched her for a second before getting out of the bed himself, also pulling on a fancy robe. _

_The couple went down the staircase, and found their way to the dining area. There were several other doors though, all leading to different rooms in the mansion sized home. From the ceiling hung a beautiful chandelier, which held at least one hundred candles for décor. _

_"Father," a little boy said as James sat down. The boy had Emmy's hair and eyes, but was built exactly like James. _

_"Yes," James replied. _

_"I was wondering, do you think we could go into town today? I'd love to get a new broom," the boy answered. _

_"Charlie, what happened to your broom?" Emmy asked. _

_"It broke." _

_"How'd it break?" Emmy asked. _

_"I accidentally ran into a tree," Charlie admitted. _

_"Okay, James, he's not flying any more. I don't want him getting hurt, especially with Hogwarts being only a month away. He needs to look nice and respectable when he arrives," Emmy told her husband. _

_"How about we get him flying lessons," James suggested. _

_"Fine," Emmy agreed, then to the house elf said, "Henry, where's breakfast?" _

_"Thanks mother, thanks father," Charlie told them both, a satisfied smile on his face. _

James opened his eyes, realizing that this lifestyle was so similar to his childhood. Before Hogwarts, and every summer during his teen years, that was his life. An elegant way of living, nothing less than the best money can buy.

He shut his eyes once more, this time dreaming of what living with Lily would be like…

_"James, the baby's crying," Lily shouted to him. She, herself, was carrying a small child in her arms, a little girl about three years of age. The little girl had Lily's gorgeous red hair, but James's eyes. Her smile was adorable, and her giggle even cuter. _

_James went to the other side of the room and picked up a little boy. He appeared to be about one year old, and had jet black hair, just like James's. In fact, his eyes were also James's. He looked just like James did as a boy. As soon as James started to rock the baby, he instantly fell asleep, the crying stopping. _

_"He's asleep, Lils," James whispered. _

_"Good, I'm going to put Rachel down for a nap now, she looks a little drowsy," Lily responded. _

_James looked around the house while Lily went to put the girl to bed. It wasn't large, but wasn't small either. It was comfy, and the things they owned were nothing short of beautiful, but obviously not as rich and elegant as the home where James grew up in. _

_"She's sleeping," Lily whispered, coming up behind him, running her hands up and down his arms. "How rare is this? Both kids are fast asleep, and I can have you all to myself." _

_James smiled at her, kissing her lightly on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her petite form, but almost instantly a baby started crying again. _

_"Well, maybe later," Lily said as she trotted over to the little boy's crib, picking him up and rocking him back to sleep, her emerald eyes dancing with a passion for life as she did so. _

He jerked his eyes open, coming to no conclusion at all. Why was it so difficult? Why was he suddenly faced with such a hard choice? He sat up and placed his head in his hands, sighing while rubbing his temples.

Emmy was great for him; everything about her and the lifestyle that they shared and would come to share would be exactly what he dreamed of having. It would be exactly like he was used to. Nothing would bring any great surprises, the two of them and their one kid would live happily together. It would be picture perfect. It would be just like his childhood. His future child would get the best that money could buy, never having to live life being jealous of anyone else. James would be able to provide for his family, and Emmy would have a stable job as well. They would get a house elf, so neither of them would ever have to work at anything regarding chores. It would be the life; the life he knew was expected for him, the life he had expected for himself.

Then again, the image of Lily and himself brought a smile to his face. She made him happy; her dazzling smile, and the way she handled the crying children without complaining. She seemed so relaxed; he seemed so relaxed, even without the help of a house elf. His life would Lily wouldn't be any where close to what was expected. With her, being disoriented came natural. The sparse second that they were able to share a kiss was foreign to him, yet he knew it would make their little time together more enjoyable. James knew that with Lily he wouldn't have the perfect life, at least not the perfect life he had always dreamed of and imagined. Instead he would have surprises, even from the littlest things, things that were supposed to be no big deal.

"What should I do?" he asked himself.

His mind drifted away from its current situation though, bringing him to his friends. He hadn't seen them in a long time. It seemed like ages ago when he last talked to Sirius, his best friend. And Remus and Peter as well, neither of them had been around in several months.

James called his owl over and quickly scribbled down a note to all his close friends, asking them to come over. He knew that they would be able to take his mind off of things, or at least help him sort through it.

About an hour after he sent his owl off, Sirius apparated into the apartment. "How's it going?" he asked.

"Sirius, haven't seen you in a while," James said.

"I know, how've you been?" Sirius asked.

"Alright, you?"

"Great, actually. Especially since I met this one girl, she's great. Best shag I've ever had," Sirius replied.

James smiled, loving that although the two men hadn't talked in a while, things would never change between them. Sirius would always be able to come over and discuss his latest girlfriend, and James would always be interested to know about her.

"Seriously though, she's great. Her name is Maria, and she's Italian. Gorgeous that one is," Sirius told his friend.

"Another girl already?" Remus asked, he and Peter had both stepped into the apartment just in time to hear Sirius say her name.

James looked at his three friends, not believing how long it had been since they had all, as a group, just sat down and talked together. Sirius looked exactly the same as the last time James had seen him. His hair was longer than when they were at Hogwarts, but only slightly. He truly looked happy with where his life was taking him, a factor that was lost sometimes while at school. Of course, James couldn't blame him, having found out that his parents permanently disowned him, his cousin marrying a Malfoy, and the only uncle he ever liked dieing weren't easy to handle. But now, Sirius seemed to accept that, or at least it appeared that he was beyond that and enjoying his life to the fullest.

Remus looked great too, slightly exhausted, but otherwise good. James knew that it was the full moon last week that made him look this way, but all four boys were used to that. A couple days before the full moon and about a week after the full moon, Remus always looked that way.

Peter also looked well. He still had a boyish look to him; one that James assumed would never leave him. It made Peter who he was though. James always considered Peter the baby of their group, although he would never tell Peter this. He wouldn't break the poor kid's heart buy saying that.

James zoned back into the conversation when he heard Sirius say, "What do you mean a new one already? The last time I talked to you was a month ago."

"Exactly," Remus replied, "One month later and you've moved on to another girl. You are unbelievable, just the same as you were in Hogwarts."

"What's that supposed to me?" Sirius questioned.

"It means that you are the luckiest bloody man in all of England," Remus laughed.

"What can I say? My dashing looks and beautiful personality can win any girl's heart," Sirius joked, recalling a joke the four of them shared. Once, a girl that fancied Sirius had told him that the reason she loved him was because of his "dashing looks and beautiful personality." And sadly, she wasn't joking at all when she said that. Ever since then, the Marauders had always jokingly described Sirius like that.

The four men laughed, remembering their days at Hogwarts. Then Sirius said, "Really though, she's great."

"How long have you been together?" Peter asked.

"About three weeks. I know what you're thinking, long time," Sirius joked.

"You really like her?" James asked.

"She's new, and very interesting. I think I'll keep her around for a while," he replied, then asked, "How's your love life treating you?"

"Elisa and I moved in together," Remus told his friends. "I really like her, and she doesn't even care about my, you know, situation."

"That's great," Peter said.

"Moony, we've got to meet this chick sometime, I mean you've been dating her for like five month already," Sirius added.

"Yeah, seriously, it's not every day that you fall for someone like her," James commented, remembering the details that Remus told them after one month of dating her. He already had fallen in love with her, loved the way she smiled at him, loved her southern accent, and loved just hanging out with her.

"I know, I know sometime,' Remus replied, then asked, "What about you, Peter, any ladies?"

Peter sighed, and then replied, "Nope, not since Carla dumped me four months ago."

"Sorry, buddy," Sirius said, slightly patting him on the back.

All their eyes then turned on James, wondering how his love life was going. When James didn't say anything, Remus asked, "James, how's your love life been?"

James sighed, wondering whether he should tell them. As soon as the thought entered his thinking process, James wished he could take them back. Not tell the Marauders? That was unheard of, he told them everything. "Actually, it sucks," he bluntly answered.

"Are you and Emmy having problems?" Remus asked.

"No, well, I don't know. It's a long story," James admitted.

"Well, lucky for you, we've got plenty of time," Sirius replied, a comforting smile on his face.

James spilled the entire story, from the very beginning, finishing with the decision Lily forced him to make. They all intently listened the entire time, laughing when appropriate, and giving his condolences when needed.

"I just, I really don't know what to do," James admitted.

"James, that Lily girl, is that Lily Evans?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"As in the Lily Evans that left you broken hearted in seventh year?" Sirius questioned.

"The one and only," James replied, and then adding, "She's changed though. She's a lot different then before. She's fun to be with, gorgeous, a good shag, and an all around good person. She makes me laugh, and I do have fun when I'm with her. Even when we were just talking, I enjoyed her company. And sometimes I would wake up and see her asleep, and she looked beautiful, I felt like all I wanted was to hold her in my arms."

"James, honestly, you know she and I don't get along. We never have, and never will. I don't trust her, I think she's a liar, and not to mention acts like she's got a stick up her ass," Sirius told his friend.

"She's changed though, she really has. She's never lied to me before and I would trust her with my life. And she's not mean or unkind at all. She's just the opposite, she sweet, loving, and kind," James replied.

"I highly doubt that," Sirius commented.

"Sirius, you're only saying that because you don't like her," Peter said, trying to give James some help with the situation.

"Yeah, and the only reason you don't like her is because she doesn't like you," Remus added. "Which, by the way is really childish."

"She's a cold-hearted bitch," Sirius simply stated.

"You only say that because she told you off for sleeping with one of her best friends and then ignoring her completely the next day. And all because James and Lily broke up," Remus told him.

"That's completely unreasonable. I didn't talk to her the ext day because I didn't like her, it and nothing to do with James and her breaking up," Sirius responded.

"You know what, let's just forget about why Sirius hates Lily, we just all know he does. Besides, I think James has got bigger problems to deal with," Peter said, coming up and taking the plate to silence his friends and end an argument.

"Alright," both boys said at the same time.

"Look James, do you really want to be in a relationship with someone who cheated on her boyfriend? I mean, who's to say she won't do it again to you?" Sirius asked a few minutes later.

"She wouldn't," James insisted.

"How do you know that? How do you know that one day she won't meet some guy, get drunk, and shag him? How do you know that she won't do the same to you as she did to that other guy?" Sirius asked, his voice rising every moment.

"She just wouldn't," James shouted.

"You don't know that," Sirius answered.

"She wouldn't do that to me," James softly said.

"Why not? Do you think she likes you more than this Jason fellow? From what I heard from you, she cared a lot about this guy, but still slept with you anyways," Sirius informed his friend.

James didn't say anything; he didn't want Sirius to be right. But in all honesty, James thought, he really could be. It was possible for Lily to cheat on him, just as she had cheated on Jason. It really was possible. Was this a risk he was willing to take?

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Hope you guys all liked chapter 17! I'm not sure if guys would actually talk like that and bout love lives with each other, but they are in this story. And once again, sorry for the cliffy! I just couldn't resist putting it in there! So, it looks like you'll have to find out who James chooses in the next chapter! Well, I hope you all liked it, and please remember to review!


	18. James's Decision

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to smart is sexy, truong, Minerva-witch, libyanauthor, moony128, N Ashton, oceanjewel, J Black, mandyzcool, Muzzy-Olorea, britboyzrsexy78, lOvEiNhEaVeN, dee, xXxswiggsterxXx, degreeofguilt, shopologist, DarkBird1345, Harry and Ginny 4eva, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, Brilover, evahyoung, Katie, julies07, drumer girl, PorcelainxDoll, i heart pink, Angel Tears Fall, Ashley, sunlitmist, froggy, suzyp2007, Sue, jazmaniandevil, lonelystarz, Juicilyn, Miss Myrtle360, and lilyandprongs for reviewing! It means so much to hear feedback from you all! Sorry I haven't updated for a while, I went away on vacation, and then of course HBP came out and I just had to read that one and I've been busy. It won't happen again though!

PorcelainxDoll: That was a good point that you made, and I guess that you would have to be in my mind to understand. So, Sirius was saying that Lily would probably cheat on James, but he didn't' say that James would probably cheat again because they are such good friends. All four of the Marauders had that thought in their mind, but no one would actually say it because it involved their friend. And I'm very glad that you'll review every chapter, it makes my day to hear that!

-Note that the italics are a flashback.-

* * *

Lily stared at herself in the mirror. She took a deep breath in and shut her eyes tightly. She did that often when she was nervous, it calmed her nerves. As if shutting her eyes would pause the rest of the world for just one moment.

"This is it," she said aloud.

She went over to her dresser and grabbed her watch, checking it she noticed she still had half an hour to get to the bakery. She could feel her heart speeding up, and she lightly bit her lower lip.

"Lily, are you still here?" called Carina from another room.

"Yes, I'm in my room," Lily answered.

In a matter of seconds Carina entered Lily's room and sat down on the bed next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Lily answered, but moments later she truthfully answered, "No, actually, I'm not fine…Carina, what if he doesn't come?"

"Why wouldn't he come? Lily, from what I've heard the two of you are absolutely mad for one another. And at Hogwarts too, do you remember how much he adored you then?" Carina responded.

Lily thought about it for a second, a small smile coming to her lips as her teenage memories filled her mind.

_Lily was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, near the fire, doing her Charms homework. It was freezing outside, especially for an October day; otherwise she would have been outside doing it instead. There weren't many people around at that moment, but as Lily was in her seventh year, she had plenty of free time. In fact the only other person in the entire room other than herself was James Potter. Just recently Lily and James had become, well, somewhat friends. It was hard for her to loathe him because they both shared the position as Head Boy and Girl. _

_Lily glanced up from her work when she heard a small cough. It was James. He didn't look up at her though; instead he was intently doing his work. _

_She couldn't help but notice how much he changed over the summer. He grew several inches, and was now probably closer to 6'2" than his previous 5'11". His body looked broader, as if he purposely gained some weight. He didn't look like some skinny kid with messy hair anymore. In fact, he looked kind of, Lily couldn't believe she was admitting to this, attractive. His hair was still messy as ever, but against his slightly tanned skin and gorgeous eyes, it looked good. He looked good. _

_That wasn't it though, his personality changed just as much as his appearance did. With the positions of both Head Boy and Gryffindor Quiditch Captain, he gained a lot of responsibility, and it certainly showed. He wasn't goofing around quite as much. She hadn't seen him tease or torment another student since last year and he was making an effort in class. Of course, James Potter had always done exceptionally well in class, but he never put any effort into it. Now that he was making a sincere effort, he would probably be the best Hogwarts had seen in centuries. _

_"Can I help you?" he asked. Lily could feel her cheeks turn a bit pink from being caught. _

_"Oh, um, sorry," she said, "I was just off in my own little world for a second there." _

_"Right," he said, but gave her his most charming smile. _

_He didn't go back to doing his work though; instead he got off of his chair and came closer to her. He sat down right across from her. _

_"So, err, what are doing?" he asked, glancing down at her homework. _

_"Just a bit of transfiguration, you know, just studying from the book. Then maybe I'll see where I've been going wrong with the actual spell." _

_"I could help you," he told her. _

_"No thanks." _

_"Are you sure?" he asked, looking disappointed at her refusal. _

_Her heart gave in a little, and she finally said, "Actually, um, alright. I guess I could use a little help here." _

_His entire face lit up. "Well, first off, shut that book." _

_"Potter," she protested. _

_"You can call me James, if you'd like," he quietly said. _

_"Um, right, James, I think that I need the book to know what I'm doing." _

_"Right now, the book is useless, Lily," he told her. _

_She was startled by the use of her first name coming from his lips. _

_"Alright, now then, it's all in your wrist. Just follow my wand movements," he told her. His hand looked as of it were floating from side to side, moving gracefully. _

_She copied his motions as best as she could, but he wasn't satisfied. "Try again," he said as he showed it to her once more. _

_She tried again, but still hadn't mastered the movements. In fact she tried five more times, but still hadn't gotten the correct movements. This was not like her at all, she almost always got the spell of charm within the first few tries. But now she couldn't, or she wouldn't. It was hard to tell. _

_"Alright, here," James said. He placed his hand on top of hers, forcing her hands to follow the right path. Lily could feel his pulse beating very fast and she couldn't help but wonder if it was because of her. _

_After that, she was able to get the hand motions and her pronunciation was already perfect. _

_"There, see you got it," James told her, a smile playing at his lips. _

_"Yes, I did…Thanks so much," she replied. _

_"It was nothing," he told her, but didn't move. James ran his hand threw his messy, black hair. Lily noticed he did that a lot, in fact, it seemed like he did it whenever he was nervous, and he was often nervous around Lily. She couldn't help but smile, he looked awfully cute when he was nervous. _

_"You know, there's a, um, Hogsmeade trip coming up soon," James informed her. _

_"Yeah, I heard about that," she responded, and flashed him a smile. James had always loved her smile, it always seemed to make him feel good about everything around him. _

_"I was wondering, if, maybe, you'd like to go with me?" he asked. _

_Lily smiled up at him, she loved it when he acted sweet. And it was remarkable how nervous he was about asking her out this time. He had done it millions of times before, and he always used an arrogant way of doing it, which annoyed Lily very much. But this time he was truly sincere. _

_"I would love to go with you," Lily answered. _

_His face lit up at her response, she had finally said yes to him. After years of hearing 'I'd rather kiss a hippogriff's ass,' she had finally agreed to date him. James felt like the luckiest man alive. _

Lily snapped back to reality when she heard Carina saying, "Lily, shouldn't you get going."

"What?"

"You've got ten minutes until four o'clock," Carina answered.

"Oh, wow, um yes," Lily replied.

She got up instantly and pulled on a jacket. Lily patted down her hand and took a deep breath in and out once more to calm to her nerves. "Wish me luck," she said.

"Good luck, Lils," Carina replied.

Lily then headed out of the apartment and walked down to the bakery. It wasn't far away at all, only about an eight minute walk from the apartment that she and Carina shared.

When Lily got to her destination, she glanced around, but didn't see James anywhere; she checked her watch again, two minutes to go until four. She took a seat outside, it wasn't too cold out. Her jacket would be warm enough on this breezy day.

Soon enough, a waiter arrived at her side, "Would you like anything?"

"Um, decaf coffees please, two sugars and cream," she answered.

The waiter left, and Lily was left alone once more. She looked around her and saw the people filled the tables around her. To her right were two young teenagers, probably about fifteen. It looked like they were on a date, she smiled at that, remembering that she and James shared their first date in Hogsmeade drinking butterbeers and having a marvelous time together. At the table to her left were two older witches, they were gossiping about the latest scandals around town. Other tables were filled with friends meeting up for coffee and sandwiches, one table had a mother with her newborn baby.

The waiter came once more and left the coffee on her table, she said a polite thanks and then looked around at the other tables once more. She recognized her apartment neighbors a few tables down. They were newlyweds and two of the nicest people Lily had ever met.

She took a sip of her coffee, letting the hot liquid flow down her throat. It made her feel happy and warm inside. Once she set the mug down, she glanced down at her watch once more. It was 4:05. Okay, so James was late, that didn't mean that he wouldn't come though. Maybe he was held up somewhere. After all, why wouldn't James come? Why wouldn't he pick Lily?

She frantically began to look around; he had to come, he just had to. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a tall man with black hair, she instantly smiled. She was right, he was just running a few minutes late. She knew he would come, he would never choose to be with anyone but her.

Then he turned around: it wasn't him.

She took another deep breath in and out; there was no need to panic, right? He was coming, right? James wasn't going to leave her, right?

Lily looked down at her watch once more; it now read 4:10. She told him to be here exactly at 4:00. He was now ten minutes late. But ten minutes late wasn't bad, right? It was only ten minutes, it's not like it's half an hour.

**8888888888 **

Lily looked down at her watch for one last time, it was 4:30. He wasn't coming. She could feel her heart sink and her eyes water. She had never felt this awful in her entire life before, she had never felt this alone and deserted before.

She placed her head in her hands, allowing the tears to finally come down. The salty water soaked her hands, she knew he body was shaking, but she didn't care.

"Miss, are you alright," Lily heard someone say.

She looked up, revealing her tearstained face. Mascara ran down her cheeks, making black smudges around her eyes. Her lips were quivering, and she knew that any sound that came form her own voice would be weak. "F,fine," she stammered.

"Are you sure?" Lily now got a good look at the person; it was one of the older ladies from the table next to hers.

"God, I must have created some huge seen or something," she silently thought to herself. "Yes, I'm okay," she told the older woman, her voice becoming slightly stronger this time.

"Well, alright then," the old woman replied, offering Lily a smile of reassurance.

Lily took another deep breath, this time pushing herself out of the chair. She left a small tip for the waiter, gathered up her belongings and started to walk home.

The walk home was so depressing, not at all how Lily had imagined it to be. She dreamed of James sweeping her off her feet, taking her to some beautiful restaurant, and then when the night was done, waking her back to her home. She would gush and tell Carina everything that happened, from their first kiss as an official couple, to the last step home.

It wasn't that way though, instead she walked alone, miserable and abandoned. The people she passed only made her feel worse. A young couple was walking hand in hand. Lily felt like yelling, "Be happy now, because it'll never last." It took about all of her remained energy to restrain herself. Then she saw an older couple, probably taking their grandchild out for the day. She despised them, hated them for being so happy when she was so disheartened.

When she finally reached her building, she was relieved, relieved that she wouldn't see another happy couple for as long as she could hide away at home. She dragged herself up every last step, until she reached her own apartment door. She stared at it for a moment before turning the knob and pushing it open.

"Lily," she heard Carina say.

Lily didn't respond though. Instead she wandered over to her room and flopped down on her bed.

Carina came in a second later, she could hear her best friend crying, and she knew what happened. She knew that James didn't come back for her.

"Oh, Lily," Carina said as she engulfed her into an enormous embrace. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Okay, I hope you all will still read this and not hate me for doing it! I promise that everything will be okay; I just had to do this for the sake of the story! But the good news is that I know exactly where I want this story going and when and how I'm going to end it, and then I've decided I'll post a sequel! But this won't be for quite some time, so don't worry, this story is going to last for a long time! And remember PLEASE don't hate me for this chapter, I promise that everything will work out perfectly in the end. Anyways please review!


	19. His Mind Isn't Where it Should Be

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to Black's Gurl, miss-mags-ak, Hyper-Shaman-Girl, Nikki, kelliethehottie, Miss Mills, dee, degreeofguilt, Niux, oceanjewel, PammaPotter, ilovecaptainjacks, reesespeices88, Tigre Lis, 45, fawks, pale pink roses, KLLRS, watervolleyhp, gatoriris, sodapopgirl703,padfootandprongs4ever, zigzag, arwenundomneil, breadcrumb, Babigirl2246, moony128, LeslieGlady, libyanauthor, Elaine, Vitamin, PammaPoo, Marie, evahyoung, DarkBird1345, wh00t, julies07, sugur-huny-bun, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, me, Juicilyn, drumer girl, x0x-Mystique-x0x, Vanilla Sugar, okatemateo, sunlitmist, xxquidditchjunkiexx, -Scp-, babi-gurl-chels, riotgirl72, Paradise-Unknown, bluejeanmistress, and Katie for reviewing either the old version or this version of Love Affair! It means the world to hear what you think! And thanks for not hating me about the last chapter!

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James stared at his watch, it was already four o'clock, and Lily was bound to be waiting for him at the bakery. She would be there, waiting to see if he would show up. If he didn't, then their relationship was lost and gone, and if he did, they would be together. 

James sighed; it killed him to leave Lily there, waiting for nobody. He wanted to go to her, tell her that he was sorry, and that although she was very special to him, he chose to be with Emmy. But that wasn't what Lily wanted, she had strictly told him only to come if he said farewell to Emmy forever. So he was left with no choice, he just had to sit at home and pretend that everything was okay.

He looked at his watch again, 4:15. He wondered if she was still there, waiting. Maybe she already left, realizing that they weren't meant to be.

Which was true, right? They weren't meant to be. James and Lily had dated once before, back at Hogwarts. James smiled as he recalled those days. For the first six years, she absolutely despised him, and then in seventh year gave him a chance. They had actually dated for quite some time before she broke his heart and dumped him. "Yes," James silently told himself, "Those were signs, signs that we shouldn't be together. She hated me, and then after a while dumped me. Two very bad signs."

He checked his watch again, 4:20. "Is she still there?" he wondered. Then he reassured himself, "of course she won't be there. She knows that we aren't going to be together, especially after waiting for twenty minutes…Nah, she's definitely not there… Why would she still be there? I mean, I didn't mean that much to her, I really didn't…She was just sick of Jason, and decided that if I was willing to, we could try dating…It was really more of an opportunity that neither of us cared about."

But then, why was he obsessing over it? Why was Lily on his mind all night long? Why, after knowing his decision, did he still think about her? Why did his brain focus on what she might be doing at that very moment?

James felt as if he had a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other, each one telling him different things to do. On one side, he knew that what he did was the right thing. He knew that he should be with Emmy; he deserved this life with her. Emmy didn't deserve to be left after all that time that she and James shared together. It was fair to both of them, everything that both of them ever dreamed about and wanted.

So why was the other half of him telling him otherwise? Lily was something special, a beautiful, smart, fun, courageous person. James wanted to share time with her, find her in his arms every morning. Part of him wanted to be with her.

"Stop it," he told himself. Lily was his high school crush, it was expected that he feel a little different about her than most girls, it was completely normal. It didn't mean that he needed to be with her though; it was just an unresolved feeling that would haunt him until he could finally forget about her.

Besides, Emmy was such a wonderful person. She was fun to be with, gorgeous, smart, and wonderful. She had a lot of the same characteristics as Lily. Emmy was who he needed, the one person that could break him away from the past and into the future. That was what he needed, not someone who knew him since he was eleven.

He checked his watch once more; it was now 4:45. She was definitely gone now, and James was relieved. Knowing that she wasn't waiting for him, he could go on with his life. He could clear her from his thoughts, he could concentrate on other things now.

"Maybe I should send a letter," he thought. That would be perfect; he could explain to her how he was feeling, say he was sorry, wish her the best of luck in life, tell her that although they weren't together he would always remember her, and just explain himself in general. Yes, that would be perfect.

As he reached for a quill and parchment, he remembered her words_, "If you choose Emmy, don't come at all, and we'll pretend that these past few months never happened."_ Pretend that these past few months never happened, writing a letter to explain certainly didn't fall under that category. No, he couldn't write her a letter, he couldn't explain his actions.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by a knocking sound on the door. When James answered it, he was surprised to see Remus standing outside.

"Remus, what's up?" James asked.

"So, you are here," Remus stated.

"Where else would I be?" he questioned.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you went to meet Lily or not," Remus answered.

James shook his head 'no' in response.

"Listen, I, I think you should go talk to Lily. Sirius was wrong about her; you know that, I know that, everyone in the sane world knows that. So if he made you choose Emmy, then forget him. I mean, even back at Hogwarts, did you know a single person that wasn't in Slytherian that didn't like her? No, of course not, and you know why? Because she's a great person, and James, I've got to be honest, you're making a mistake by not being with her," Remus sincerely told his friend.

"Remus, Sirius didn't affect my decision. I came to it completely on my own," James replied.

"James, back at Hogwarts, you and Lily were so perfect for each other."

"What are you talking about? Sometimes we fought so much," James responded.

"But you still liked each other in the end."

"But we weren't perfect for each other."

"Yes you were! That's what makes a relationship so perfect, it's the little things that drive you crazy but at the end of the day, you're still madly in love that makes a relationship work. It's not about theoretically people working well together," said Remus.

"You don't know what you're talking about," James snapped.

"No, you just won't accept it," Remus sharply replied.

"I've got all that with Emmy, she makes me happy," he answered.

"Does she really? Or do you just think she does?" Remus asked.

James was silent, but refused to believe that Remus had a valid point. "She does make me happy. And I make her happy."

"Fine, if that's what you think, then fine, be with Emmy," Remus said with a sigh. "Okay, I've got to go…I just wanted to stop in and say what I did."

"Bye," James responded as he watched Remus leave.

James let out a furious sigh, how dare Remus come here and tell him that. It was just plain rude, and completely untrue. He and Lily weren't perfect for each other, in fact they were just the opposite. Except in bed of course, James reminded himself, a small grin appearing on his face.

But that was beside the point, although he and Lily had one perfect thing with each other, that was it. There was nothing else. Well, except of course how much fun they had together. But that's just fun, he had fun with lots of people, that didn't mean he wanted to date them. After all, he certainly had fun with Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and they were friends. That's right, friends. The reason he and Lily had fun together was because they were friends, nothing more. Certainly nothing more. They were just friends, friends that were very good at shagging each other. And, well, she was gorgeous. But it's definitely okay to think someone is gorgeous, that didn't mean he was going to date her though, After all, he thought that the witches that modeled in magazines were very attractive, but he didn't go after them. Yes, that was it. Lily was just a friend, who was very attractive, and very good in bed. She was nothing more, nothing.

Before James could contemplate his and Lily's situation any longer, he heard a knock on the door. He went to the door, looked through the peep hole and was glad to see Emmy's smiling face.

He opened the door at once, and when he did Emmy leapt in and planted a gigantic kiss on the lips.

"Wow, what was that for?" he joked.

"I just had the most amazing first day!" she exclaimed.

James thought about it for a second, what first day? But in an instant he remembered, it was her first day at her new job. "Really, why don't we go into the living room and you can tell me all about it over a couple of butterbeers," James suggested.

"That sounds great," she said as she walked over to his couch.

James sat down next to her and with his wand conjured up two bottles. He popped his open and took a large gulp, letting the liquid pour down his throat.

"Okay, so all my co-workers are so great," Emmy started off. "And oh my god, so I had this lady come in and she was so fussy and so extremely difficult to handle…"

But as Emmy as Emmy was telling her story, James's mind was concentrating on other things, not taking in a single word she said. Instead he looked down at her shoes; they were spiky heels and black. Lily had spiky heels that were black, he reminded himself.

Why was his brain focusing on Lily so much? This was a question that he kept on asking, he didn't want to, but everything he saw reminded him of her. Sometimes he even made the dumbest connections. Take Emmy's bracelet, Lily owns a bracelet. That was his connection.

He was making pitiful attempts to think about her, but he didn't' want to think of her, he wanted to focus on what Emmy was saying. He wanted to laugh and comment on her story, but he didn't have a clue as to what she was actually saying. His mind was just telling him blah, blah, blah was coming out of her mouth.

"Isn't that great though," she asked.

James suddenly snapped back into reality. What was great? He racked he brain for any parts of their conversation, but all he could come up with was that Lily had pink earrings just like Emmy's.

So, instead he had to fake it, "Yeah, that's awesome."

"Oh, I know. This is seriously the best job I've ever had, and it's only been my first day. I actually can't wait to go back tomorrow."

"Yeah," he dumbly said.

"And you know what the best part is?" she asked, running a finger up and down James's chest.

"What?" he asked.

"Twenty-five percent off of all products. Would you like to see?" she seductively asked.

James's eyes went wide, was she seriously suggesting what he thought she was suggesting?

"Come on," she said as she got off the couch and walked toward his bedroom.

He immediately got off the couch and followed her, after all, what kind of guy gave up sex just to think about some stupid decision?

When he reached his room, Emmy was already laying on his bed, her Oxford button-down shirt already halfway unbuttoned. James went over and hopped on the bed next to her, sliding his hand up and under her shirt. He kissed her lips playfully and tenderly. But he could tell she wanted more than that and he began to kiss her more fiercely.

His hands then began to fidget with her buttons, undoing them as his lips made their way down her neck and onto her chest. He couldn't help but notice that she smelt different than normal, almost like she used a different soap or perfume. But then he remembered, she smelt exactly like herself. It was Lily's scent that he was thinking of, not Emmy's.

He mentally shook his head, forgetting about Lily for the moment and enjoying his time alone with Emmy.

In no time at all, James and Emmy were laying together inside his covers, each one breathing deeply. James slung his arm around her, holding her against his body. Her eyes were starting to drift shut, and her breathing was slowly, but surely lessening its pace, coming back to normal.

James looked at her, noticing how peaceful she looked. It wasn't until that moment did he realize that in all their time together, he never really looked at her sleeping. He never woke up in the early morning, or stayed awake an extra hour just to watch her.

He did do this with Lily though, he remembered countless occasions when she would easily fall fast asleep, but he hadn't yet. He remembered watching her body move up and down from each deep, relaxed breath she took.

And as he watched Emmy, he wondered why he hadn't taken the time before. She truly did look peaceful and gorgeous. The way her hair fell across her pale face and the fact that he skin was always silky smooth brought a smile to his face.

He knew that he made the right decision. At that moment, he knew that Remus had been mistaken. Emmy did make him happy, and he did love her very much.

Right?

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**Author's Note 2:** Hey guys, I hope you all liked the chapter! And I'm going to say this once more, believe me when I say that everything will work out perfectly in the end! Anyways, please remember to review! 


	20. Missing Him

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to lOvEiNhEaVeN, reesespeices88, breadcrumb, Babigirl2246, PammaPotter, moony128, Black's Gurl, KLLRS, padfootandprongs4ever, pale pink roses, LeslieGlady, dee, Jo, Sirius's one true love, briboyzrsexy78, Desolation Lily, Hyper-Shaman-Girl, Minerva-witch, libyanauthor, Blackgirl5, Miracle Girls, miss-mags-ak, dodah, InLoVeWiThJaMeS pOtTeR, M'embrassez lentement, Aries Chic, Elaine, Katrina, and kimmy for reviewing the original version of Love Affair.

Thanks to -Scp-, sugur-huny-bun, On3-ShoT, Harry and Ginny 4eva, babi-gurl-chels, sunlitmist, Jasmine Potter, -lily-potter-wannabe-, oKateMateo, bluejeanmistress, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, riotgirl72, asiangirl668, me, Alicia, acf8990, Juicilyn, bananaslugg, wh00t, Miss Myrtle360, alright, Vanilla Sugar, wizemunkee006, lonelystarz, and Mr. Corso for reviw

bluejeanmistress: First off, thanks so much for both reviewing and saying you liked this story, and I'm glad you like this one even better than the first, so do I! To answer your question, I would guess that there are about 10-15 chapters left. I've got in my mind how many chapters are left before Lily and James are finally together (although I'm not going to tell anyone) and after that I've got some plans for them before I end the story. So, no fears, Love Affair won't end any time quickly! But when it does, I'm planning on writing a sequel!

And for all of you who are Emmy haters, I'm totally on your side! Anyone who stands in between Lily and James is! But I need her for the story, so unfortunately she's got to be here.

Also, you all need to trust me when I say things will work out in the end! I'm glad that you all are mostly saying that you do trust me, and you should! I know exactly what I'm doing, and I've even thought long and hard about what I want to happen in each chapter! Okay, now on with the story!

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Carina sighed, she didn't know what to do. It had been two days since James refused Lily, and Lily still hadn't moved from her bed. She refused to go to work, she didn't take a shower, her eyes were still red and puffy, and she barely ate anything. Carina practically had to force food into her mouth.

In fact, Carina had never seen Lily in this state before. She had never seen her so helpless and such a mess. And frankly, it scared her. Lily was always so strong and independent. She was always up for the challenge, loving to test herself.

But now, it was completely different. It was as if a piece of her soul had been taken away from her, never to be given back. She just wasn't the same person.

Carina knew she had to do something, anything to get Lily out of her bed and into her life again. Plus, Jason was sending owls all the time, asking where she was and when he could see her again. On multiple occasions, Carina had to forge Lily's signature, lying and saying that she was going out of town with Carina for the week.

She quickly conjured up some coffee and peeked her head into Lily's room. "Are you up?"

"Barely," grumbled Lily.

Carina pushed the door open a little more and slid into the room. "Here, I brought you some coffee."

"I don't want it."

"Lils, come on, you love coffee. And it smells wonderful and tastes even better," Carina sweetly said.

"No."

Carina sighed, but placed the coffee down on Lily's nightstand. "Okay, you have to get out of bed now. It's been two days already."

"Leave me alone," Lily mumbled.

"Lily Marie Evans, if you don't get out of bed this instant, I'll, well I'll, um, I'll just force you out of it, and it won't be any fun for you," Carina warned.

Lily gave her a look that said "yeah right, you wouldn't dare."

"Fine, you've left me no choice," Carina said. She stood at the end of Lily's bed and ripped the sheets right off of the bed, leaving Lily exposed in pajama pants and a tank top.

"Carina, stop it, I'm cold," Lily whined.

"Then get out of this bed this second," she responded.

Lily just sat there, crossed her arms, and pursed her lips together.

"Lily, get up, this isn't healthy!" Carina exclaimed.

She didn't move though.

"Fine, is this what you want this to come down to? Fine then," Carina remarked. She then took her wand out of her robes and said, "Wingardium Leviosa." Her wand was pointed directly at Lily. In an instant, Lily began to rise up, shouting curse words at Carina.

Carina directed her wand toward the bathroom, walking along Lily's floating body. She went to the shower and turned the water on. She released the spell, sending Lily crashing down and into the tub. Of course, Carina had suspected that she might be forced to do this, so before hand she conjured up a soft padding all along the tub's surface.

"Carina!" Lily shouted out in anger.

"It's for your own good. You need to stop moping around and get on with your life," she explained.

"No, just stop it!" Lily shrieked. "You don't know what's for my own good, I know what's for my own good, not you." With that said, she got to her feet and pushed her way past Carina and toward her bedroom.

Carina just stood there, shocked. She hadn't expected this to happen. She imagined Lily snapping back to reality, realizing that James Potter wasn't worth all this. But it didn't happen that way, and Carina couldn't help but wonder if James meant more to Lily than anyone could have known, including Lily.

Now she really didn't know what to do. Not only was Lily upset and unwilling to move from her bed, but she was mad at Carina now.

It was nearly twenty minutes before Carina went to check on Lily again, this time bringing a large box of chocolate chip cookies with her.

"Peace offering?" Carina asked, holding the box out in front of her.

Lily looked her up and down, trying to determine if this was some trick to get her out of bed again. When she realized that Carina was truly sincere she allowed her to come in and motioned her to sit down on her bed.

"Lils, I'm sorry," Carina began. "I should never have tried to get you out and back to the real world this quickly. I know that when you care about someone, it takes awhile."

"It's okay," Lily said, grabbing a cookie as she spoke.

"Do you want to talk about it at all?"

"No," Lily responded, taking another bite of her cookie.

Carina looked down at her lap for moment, but then took a cookie as well. She didn't know what to say now. She and Lily shared very little awkward moments, but this certainly was classified as one. She hated it though; she wanted everything to be okay. She wanted Lily to be happy, and she wanted the two of them to be back on track.

Lily let out a sigh, but then said, "I never thought that he wouldn't come."

Carina looked up at her best friend, and saw slight tears appearing at her eyes. She knew it must be hard for her to talk about this, but she was glad that Lily was finally getting it off of her chest and out into the open. This would be good for her, Carina was certain about that.

"When I told him that he had twenty-four hours to decide, I seriously thought that he wouldn't even question it. I thought that he, he…" she trailed off as the tears started to heavily flow.

Carina reached forward, putting a comforting arm around her friend. Lily lent in, collapsing against her as pools dripped from her face.

As Carina looked down at her friend, memories from their seventh year fluttered into her mind. She remembered the affect that James had on her last time…

_Carina was sitting on her bed, looking through a magazine when the door was plunged open. She immediately looked up and saw Lily standing there. Lily shut the door behind her, leaning herself against it, obviously unaware that Carina was in the room. _

_"Oh God, what did I do?" Lily said aloud. _

_It was then that Carina heard muffled crying noises. Lily's entire body was shaking against the door, and she looked as if she was about to collapse. _

_Carina was tempted to say something, but deep down inside, she knew she shouldn't. So she kept her mouth shut and hid under her covers, hopefully to be unnoticed. And if Lily did see a body there, Carina would pretend to be asleep. She kept an ear open though, eavesdropping on anything and everything Lily was saying. _

_Lily slid down the length of the door, landing herself on the floor. She hung her head low, propping it slightly with her hands. _

_"I'm so stupid," she cried, "I, I love him." _

_Carina perked her eyes up, wondering what could have happened. It was obviously something to do with James, but what she couldn't figure out. _

_Footstep on the stairs followed by their roommate's voices caused Lily to spring to her feet. She ran to the bathroom, shutting the door tightly behind her. Carina heard the shower start, and knew that it was the one place where no one could hear you cry. _

_Carina got out of her bed just as two of her roommates entered the dorm room. She then left the room and headed straight toward the Common Room. She was determined to find James Potter and find out exactly what happened. _

_But when she got there, he wasn't in sight. His friends, however, were sitting right there. They weren't talking though, just sitting there. She knew something must be up. Instead of asking them though, she went straight toward the boy's dormitories and hurried up the stairs. _

_Once she found the room that the Marauders shared, she opened it up without knocking. She was surprised to find James lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He had a blank look on his face, emotionless. _

_"Potter, what the fuck happened?" she asked, her voice impatient and demanding. _

_He turned to look at her, but still showed no emotion. _

_"Potter, I'm not kidding, what did you do to Lily?" _

_"She dumped me," he answered, and then turned his head back to looking at the blank ceiling. _

_Carina looked like she had just been told that her father was actually from outer space. Lily dumped James? That couldn't be right, she was the one crying her eyes out in their room, and she loved him so much. That just couldn't be possible. _

_"She did what?" _

_"She dumped me," he answered, not looking at her when he spoke. Even his voice was blank. It was as if every inch of life had been taken from his body, and all that was left was skin and bones. _

_"Why?" she asked, ignoring how rude it sounded. _

_"Don't know," he answered with the same tone and look. _

_"I'm so sorry, James," Carina said as she backed out of the room and ran back toward her own room. She needed to see Lily, she needed to find out what was going on. _

_By the time she made it back, Lily was out of the shower and sitting on her own bed. She had her Potions book open and was furiously taking notes. _

_"Lily, what's going on?" she asked at once, her heart pounding from the constant running. _

_"Hmm, nothing, just doing some homework," Lily answered. _

_"No, what's going on with you and James. I just talked to him, he said you dumped him!" exclaimed Carina. _

_"Um, yeah," Lily truthfully answered, letting out a sigh as she did. _

_"Why?" _

_"I don't want to talk about it," Lily replied, going back to reading her textbook. _

_"Are you okay?" _

_"Yeah, I'm fine," Lily lied. _

And Carina knew for sure that it was a lie, because not only had she heard her crying earlier, but later that night as well...

_Carina wasn't even sleepy yet, but had gone to bed nearly an hour beforehand. The entire room was dark, and she could hear the heavy breathing coming from the bed to her right. _

_But then she heard another noise, another muffled cry was let out to her left, Lily's bed. Lily was crying again. _

_"Lils, are you okay?" Carina whispered. _

_The sounds immediately stopped, and Lily didn't say anything. _

_Carina grabbed her wand from her nightstand and said, "Lumos." A millisecond later light appeared at the tip of her wand. She then got out of bed and walked over to Lily's bed. _

_"Lils, what's wrong?" she asked as she saw Lily's tearstained face. _

_"Did I do the right thing?" Lily asked. _

_"Hmm?" _

_"I shouldn't have broken up with him, I, I think I might love him," Lily confided to her best friend. _

_"Why did you call it off in the first place?" Carina questioned. _

_"I, I honestly don't know anymore…I guess, well, I guess that at the moment it felt like the right thing to do, but now, oh Carina, I miss him so much, and it's only been a couple of hours," Lily cried. _

Carina let out a sigh as she remembered that it had taken her three hours to get Lily to actually fall asleep that night. The next night she heard Lily cry until nearly midnight, and she guessed that she only fell asleep out of exhaustion from crying so much. Each night after that she was able to get to sleep earlier and earlier, and fewer tears were shed. But it still took her a week to stop crying herself to sleep. And even after that, she still missed and obsessed over him all the time. In fact, most of her time was spent in the library. She studied all the time, even taking on extra projects just to keep her mind off of him. After about a month and half, Lily finally recovered from the breakup. It took six long weeks for her to start acting normal again. And she didn't start dating another guy until the winter after they graduated from Hogwarts, nearly a year after she and James broke up.

Carina could only pray that this time around wouldn't be quite so bad. But unfortunately, she had a feeling it would be even worse.

"I miss him so much," Lily admitted, lying back down on her bed and off of Carina's shoulder. "I miss his messy hair, you know the way that it'll never go straight. Even the heaviest magic couldn't change its position. I miss waking up next to him, finding his arms around me, and him looking straight into my eyes."

Carina didn't know what to say to that, only that she was jealous that she had never experienced that feeling after a breakup.

"Call me crazy, but I actually thought that he might be the one…I thought that maybe we'd get married someday, grow old together, the whole deal," Lily confessed. She didn't cry as she said this, her eyes didn't have any more liquid left to spare. Instead she just stated it, telling Carina her secrets.

"I can't believe it though, I'm so stupid. Here I was, willing to give up everything for him."

"Lils, you're not stupid," Carina assured her. "If anyone's stupid it's him. He doesn't know what he's missing. I mean, any guy would be lucky to have you."

"But I don't want just any guy, I want James," Lily miserably said.

"I know, I know," Carina replied, a sympathetic look on her face.

"There's just something about him, I can't explain it, but it's incredible. He makes me feel good about myself…He, as dumb as this sounds, he makes me feel like I could fly if I wanted to, without a broomstick."

"That's not dumb."

"He, he makes it seem like anything is possible, and that I could do anything crazy, but he'd still like me for me. I don't have to pretend around him, I can just be me," Lily admitted.

"That sounds nice."

"It is…but, but I can't believe that its gone. I'm never going to have that again, am I?"

"Lils, you can still have that…there are millions of guys out in the world, lots of guys will make you feel that way, it's just a matter of finding one," Carina told her.

"But what if there's not anyone to make me feel that way, what if James is the only one for me?" Lily asked.

"I thought you didn't believe in soul mates," Carina stated.

"I didn't."

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**Author's Note 2:** Hey guys! I hope you all liked this chapter, and please remember to review! And just to let you all know, for the next couple chapters, I think that I'm going to alternate each character. Like last chapter was James, this chapter was Lily, the next will be James, etc. They'll eventually come together again once Lily and James are back together, I'm guessing that most of you do realize that they will end up together, after all, Harry's got to be born somehow, right? 


	21. Dreams & Work

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to dee, kimmy, cilverblood, PammaPotter, pasmosa, degreeofguilt, Black's Gurl, britboyzrsexy78, pale pink roses, KLLRS, TigerLily, Loveable, Laura Johnson, katrina, hi, sblomie, Mia, Babigirl2246, Desolation Lily, and Blackgirl5 for reviewing the old version of Love Affair.

Thanks to x0x-Mystique-x0x, evahyoung, drumer girl, bananaslugg, Juicilyn, On3-ShoT, Rose Angelz, Harry and Ginny 4eva, phoebe, bluejeanmistress, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, sunlitmist, blaiselover, wh00t, Liljean15690, i-LuV-cHaRmEd18, sugur-huny-bun, riotgirl72, Vanilla Sugar, oKateMateo, GryffinWings, julies07, Angel's Only Shadow, PorcelainxDoll, tigerlily141, bratski and Mia for reviewing the newest version of Love Affair! You guys are definitely the best!

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_He was all alone, darkness surrounded him. He couldn't hear anything but the sound of his own deep breaths. He tried to adjust his eyes, seeking to see anything at all, but couldn't._

_He was searching his eyes violently around, even turning in a small circle. He didn't dare to move though. That was one of the first things he learned while training to be an auror, never move from your spot when you can't see anything. You never know what's around you, booby-traps, cliffs, anything could be there. _

_Then he saw it, a distant light. He strained his ears, trying to hear anything. Eventually he heard footsteps, they were getting louder as each second passed. The light was becoming clearer as well, but he still couldn't tell who the carrier of the light was. _

_A second later the entire place was lighted, revealing a small cave. He couldn't see the opening though, just walls of rock. It looked old and cold, bats hung from the roof. _

_He looked up at the man who had previously been carrying the light and a shiver went down his back. Lord Voldermort stood in front of him. He was tall and thin with dark, sleek hair. He wore a cold smile on his face, almost as if he knew something that no one else did, something dangerous and evil. _

_"James Potter, I've finally got you here," he said. _

_James didn't move from his spot, only stared at the most feared wizard of all time. His heart was beating fast and he could feel his palms becoming sweaty. _

_"Do you want to know why you're here?" _

_"What do you want?" James boldly asked. _

_"I want you on my side. You're a powerful wizard, you could do great things," Voldermort said. _

_"No, not with you, anything with you wouldn't be great," James remarked. _

_"You stupid boy, I'm making you an offer. No one declines my offers," Voldermort coldly stated, stressing the "no one" part of his speech. _

_"Well, then I'll be the first." _

_"I don't think so," he began, "You see, I know what means the most to you, or actually, shall I say who means the most to you." _

_James's heart began to race faster, what was Voldermort up to? _

_"Bring her out," Voldermort demanded. _

_From the corner of the room, a section in the rock wall began to move. It slowly turned completely around, revealing two people. He couldn't tell who they were yet, as they were both concealed by the shadows. _

_A second later a man appeared. James recognized him immediately. Only one man had blondish-white hair as long as that. It was Lucius Malfoy, one of Voldermort's most prized Death Eaters. _

_He yanked on the arm of the other person, bringing that person into the light. James gasped as Lily appeared. Her hands were bound together by rope and her mouth had been taped shut. _

_"Now, you see Potter, that if you don't join me, she'll be killed," Voldermort simply said. _

_James could hear Lily struggling to say something, but the tape prevented any actually words to be understandable. _

_"If you touch her, I'll kill you," James threatened. _

_"Kill me? Is that so? And how were you planning on doing that? You have no wand," Voldermort responded. _

_James instinctively reached inside his pockets, but amazingly his wand wasn't there. It was odd; he always carried his wand in case of an emergency. _

_"Now Potter, do we have a deal? I'll let this filthy Mudblood of yours go if you agree to join me," Voldermort casually said. _

_James racked his brain for something to do, anything at all. God, he wished he had his wand. If he did, all his problems would be over. He'd be able to save Lily and get away from joining the dark side. _

_"Having trouble deciding?" Voldermort asked James, and then to Malfoy said, "Take the tape off of her, I want him to be able to hear her scream." _

_Malfoy did as he was told and the moment the tape was off of her lips, Lily screamed, "James, do something." _

_James's heart was beating even faster. He needed to save Lily, that was all he knew he needed to do for sure. But how could he go over to the dark side? _

_"Bring her to me, Malfoy," Voldermort instructed. _

_Malfoy did as he was told. He fiercely grasped onto Lily's arm again and thrust her toward Voldermort who then in turn tightly held onto her arm. _

_"James, help," she begged. _

_"You heard her, Potter, help her. Join me, that's your only option," Voldermort said. _

_"James," Lily cried out again. _

_He couldn't stand still any longer, he ran toward her and quickly grabbed her into his own arms. Oddly enough, it was surprisingly easy to capture her away from Voldermort, but James didn't question it at all, he was just glad that Lily was in his arms once more. _

_"You stupid boy, I can kill her just as easily from over there as I could from here," Voldermort casually said. _

_His heart started beating fast once more, "Lily, I love you. I always have and I always will, never forget that…All that time, I loved you. Even after Hogwarts, I always thought about you. I love you, I love you so much." _

_"James, I love you too," she told him, moving her body closer to him as she spoke. _

_"Awe, now isn't that sweet," Voldermort sarcastically said. _

_Then without warning, James heard the last thing he ever would hear, "Avada…" _

James bolted upright, nearly knocking Emmy off of the bed. His heart was beating like a race horse. His entire body felt hot and he could feel sweat on his forehead.

"James," Emmy groaned, "what the fuck was that for?"

It took him a moment to realize that it was all a dream. He wasn't getting murdered by Lord Voldermort, he wasn't with Lily, none of that happened. Instead he was in his bed, safe and sound.

He looked around him for a moment and saw that Emmy was practically falling off of the bed. She was hoisting herself up while trying her hardest to keep the sheets over her body.

"Sorry, I had a dream and woke up, didn't mean to startle you," he said.

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay," she said, her voice was a lot gentler now. "Was it a bad dream?"

"Um, yeah," he replied.

"What was it about?" she asked, almost sounding motherly.

"Um, um, actually I can't remember right now. All I know is that it was scary as hell," he replied. This, of course, was a downright lie. He knew exactly what he dreamt about. He knew that it was Lily in his dream, not Emmy. He knew perfectly well every single emotion felt during that nightmare. But he certainly couldn't tell Emmy about it. He couldn't tell her that his nightmare involved another woman. That would be like digging his own grave.

"Oh, okay then," she said, completely oblivious to the lie.

He sighed and glanced over at his clock. It was nearly 6:15; he had another fifteen minutes before he usually got up for work. It wasn't worth going back to sleep with so little time left.

He rested his back against the headboard on his bed and just sat there. Emmy, however, went back to sleep. She was curled up, her back towards him. He ran his fingers over her hair and smiled. She was a great person, a truly wonderful girl.

But why then, was he having dreams about Lily?

---

James checked his watch, which told him it was quarter of eight. He took a deep breath in and out as he waited in line to get cleared into the Ministry of Magic. It was a slow process these days, now with Voldermort getting stronger every second.

Today, however, James didn't mind waiting in the long line. All it meant was more time to stall going up to the office and seeing Jason. As hard as it was to work with him before, during the affair, it would be even harder now.

"Next," came the voice of the security guard.

James walked up to him and showed him both his apparition license and his official Ministry card. Back in the old days, the only I.D necessary was the Ministry card, and other people could get a visitor's pass. Now though, Ministry employee's needed to show two forms of identification. And visitors had to show one form of identification as well as be accompanied by an employee of the Ministry.

In addition to all of this, it was required that you presented your wand to the guard to check what your last spells were. Anyone found using an Unforgivable Curse was immediately sent to Azkaban Prison, and anyone else using harmful spells wasn't admitted into the building. Plus, it was required that you pass through a devise that was ironically inspired by muggles. This devise could sense any sort of Dark Magic material. Even some things from joke shops could set off the machine. Those items would then have to be cleared with the guards before you were allowed to enter the building.

James handed over his wand and then walked through the devise. As usual, everything was fine and he was allowed in.

He took as long as possible to get to his office. He went to get a cup of coffee before putting his things away, and then he went over to the Quidditch department to check the status of all the teams.

He stalled for nearly half an hour before he knew that he really had to get to the office. Even then he walked slower than usual.

It couldn't wait any longer though, especially now that he was at the door. Al he had left between him and Jason was this door. James couldn't help but think about how he really didn't want to go in there. Not only would he have to deal with his own urges to ask about Lily, but he was assuming that Jason would be pretty upset, after all, Lily probably dumped him.

But when he opened the door, James was very surprised to see Jason smiling and in a rather pleasant mood.

"Have a nice weekend?" Jason asked.

"Um, yeah," James replied.

"Must've been nice, having four days in a row off…I really can't wait until Friday. It's my turn for the long weekend, Friday through Monday off," Jason commented.

"Yeah, it's very relaxing," James said, although his weekend wasn't relaxing at all.

"I'm going to surprise Lily and take her up to a lake house for the weekend," Jason said. He sounded like a child at Christmas, as if he was dying to tell someone his plans.

"Really?" James asked, very surprised at Jason's words. Was it possible that Lily hadn't dumped him?

James couldn't believe it. She gave him 24 hours to decide his own fate, when she hadn't even broken up with Jason. He could feel the anger boiling inside of him. What if he did choose Lily? Would she be playing him again, just wanting him to have one woman to love while she had two men of her very own? He was glad that he didn't choose her then, glad that Sirius spoke up before he ruined his life.

"Yeah, I've been planning it for a while," Jason began, "I mean, with all the work I've had to do, and her taking up all sorts of new activities and visiting her sister so much, it'll be nice to have a weekend just to ourselves."

James smirked a bit. This guy had no idea at all, he had no clue that all those new activities and Lily's sister were code named for she was visiting him.

In fact, James just realized that he could change this guy's life with just one word. He could tell him everything; he could ruin it all for Lily and Jason. All he had to do was tell Jason that his beloved Lily wasn't so innocent.

He was truly ready to do it, but then saw Jason gazing at a picture of Lily and him sitting on a beach together. Could he really ruin it for his partner? Could he really be the one to tell Jason the truth and change his world forever, a world that he loved so much?

He couldn't. He wouldn't do that to Jason, he didn't do anything wrong, so why go and mess up everything for him.

"So, um, how is Lily?" James asked, trying his hardest not to sound too obvious.

"Oh, she's great. Actually she's off visiting her best friend's family. She should be back the night before I plan to take her away on vacation though," Jason replied.

"Is she really?" James said, it wasn't a question. Off visiting Carina's family, now that sounded odd.

"Actually, you went to school with Lily, so you may know her. Carina Gallagher, ring any bells?"

"Um, yes, I remember her. She and Lily were practically inseparable as far as I can recall," James replied.

"Yeah, they still are," Jason laughed.

A few moments later Jason looked up and said, "Speak of the devil, she must be back earlier than expected."

James immediately looked out of the open door and saw Carina walking straight toward their office.

"Carina, what are you doing here?" Jason asked.

Carina smiled at him and replied, "Actually I was here for a job."

"What? I thought you said your Ministry days were over," Jason said.

"That was before the best job I could get was a bartender," Carina responded.

Jason laughed, and then said, "Good point. So what job are you here for?"

"Well, actually, you're looking at the new secretary for the American Magic Ambassador," Carina answered. "The old secretary moved to New Zealand, she was so petrified with all the Dark Magic going on now that she took her kids and left the country."

"Wow, but Carina, I didn't know you were interested in being a secretary," Jason said.

"Yeah, well, it's better than bartending," she replied. "But anyway, I figured I'd tell you here in person rather than writing you that Lily's sick. She can't leave the house and I don't recommend coming over, she's really contagious. I'm lucky that I didn't catch what she's got. The nurses at St. Mungos said that since I haven't caught it already, I won't get it, but they said not to let anyone else in the house until she was better."

"Oh my God, is she going to be okay?" Jason asked, a truly concerned look on his face. James too perked up at hearing this.

"Yeah, she'll be fine, just give her a few days," Carina answered.

"Okay, tell her that I love her and can't wait to see her though," Jason said.

"Will do, but now, I'd better get going," Carina told Jason. She completely ignored James the entire time she was there, and didn't even acknowledge him as she was leaving.

"Um, Jason, I'll be right back," James said as he leapt to his feet. He ran out the door and ran into the elevator with Carina.

"What do you want?" she bitterly asked as the door closed behind them.

"Is she okay?"

"Why do you care?"

"Listen, just because I'm not seeing her doesn't mean that I don't care about her," James said.

"She's not sick," Carina honestly said, "That was just an excuse so that she could have some time to herself."

"Why wouldn't she want to see Jason?"

"Why do you think? She's a fucking mess thanks to you," Carina angrily spat out.

"What?"

"Believe it or not, but for some fucked up reason she actually really liked you," she replied, the anger wasn't leaving her voice anytime soon.

James didn't say anything.

"That's right, Potter, you broke her heart. Thanks to you she hasn't been out of bed since she came home without you Saturday afternoon. Thanks to you she's been crying her bloody eyes out," Carina furiously said, her voice was getting louder and louder at each word she said.

"I, I didn't know," he sincerely said.

Carina took her wand out and said a simple spell to make the elevator stay exactly where it was, so that no matter how many buttons were pushed, it wouldn't budge.

She then turned to face James and said, "Cut the bullshit innocent act you've got going on. You broke her heart and you bloody well know it, you did from the moment you didn't show up."

"Carina, I, I don't know what you want me to say."

"I'm warning you, Potter, you've broken her heart twice already, and if you break her heart one more time, I'll break every last bone in your body."

"Did you just threaten me?"

"Yes," she answered.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** I hope you guys all liked the chapter and please remember to review! I promise, I won't keep you guys waiting too much longer for Lily and James to get back together!


	22. Over Him?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to PammaPotter, LeslieGlady, sblomie, padfootandprongs4ever, Black's Gurl, pale pink roses, KLLRS, Desolation Lily, lizziee, Kristanna, Babigirl2246, TigerLily, Hyper-Shaman-Girl, and dee for reviewing the old version of Love Affair.

Thanks to i-LuV-cHaRmEd18, evahyoung, xxquidditchjunkiexx, Juicilyn, sugur-huny-bun, julies07, piratequeen24, x0x-Mystique-x0x, jenn, Miss Myrtle360, PFLuver, wizemunkee006, jmarit17, bratski, GryffinWings, phoebe, On3-ShoT, bluejeanmistress, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, blaiselover, wh00t, Rose Angelz, oKateMateo, babi-gurl-chels, and Littl elilks for reviewing the newest version of Love Affair! You guys are seriously the best!

Bluejeanmistress: Another good question, and the answer is sort of. It won't be in this story, but it definitely will be in the sequel that I'm planning on writing. Actually a lot of the old chapters probably will, I've saved all the old chapters starting at chapter 16 or so, so the sequel will include chapters that I liked from the original. Also, props to you for remembering that! I didn't until you mentioned it!

* * *

Lily was sitting in her bedroom thumbing through photographs when Carina got home from work that Thursday night. And this, Carina took, was a very good sign. It had now been five days since the incident between Lily and James, and when Carina left for work this morning, it appeared that Lily wasn't doing any better. But now, to find her sitting upright was like a sign from Heaven.

"Hey Lils, what're you doing?" Carina asked as she stepped into the room.

"Oh, just looking at pictures from Hogwarts," she responded.

As Carina got nearer she could see that Lily wasn't in those same pajamas any more. She was now wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, a very big improvement.

"Did you shower today?" Carina carefully asked.

"Yup, I had to. I mean I couldn't just leave the house without doing so," Lily answered.

"You left the house," Carina stated.

"Well, yes, I had to. We were out for eggs, and I wanted scrambled eggs for lunch today," she answered.

Carina was smiling largely, maybe this time around wouldn't be as bad as Lily's last break up with James Potter.

Lily suddenly stopped flipping through the album and her eyes narrowed until they looked like slits. She held up the picture, grabbed a pen, and immediately started puncturing it.

"Lily, what are you doing?" Carina asked as she took a step closer to observe the picture. It was a picture of James. In fact, Carina remembered seeing that picture back in seventh year. It was taken right before Christmas, about a month before Lily and James broke up for the first time. Lily desperately wanted a picture of him to show her parents, and grudgingly, he agreed to have his picture taken right in front of the lake. Lily had been so pleased that she actually got a picture of him, just him. Before that he refused to take a picture unless someone else was in it with him.

Now though, he was running for cover from Lily's pen. She kept on aiming for his head, but he was always a little bit too quick for her. The result though, was multiple holes all across the picture.

"Having fun there?" Carina asked.

"Oh yes, it's a blast," Lily honestly answered.

"You know," Carina began, slowly taking the pen away from Lily, "A less aggressive way to do this would be to simply rip the picture. You can't hurt yourself that way."

"Carina, don't be stupid, it's a pen," Lily said as she reached for the pen, but Carina was one step ahead of her and forced it out of her reach every time.

Lily let out a sigh of anger, but then took Carina's suggestion anyways. She shredded the picture until there was nothing left of it. And even after that she set the remains on fire with her wand.

"Well, that was fun," Lily cheerily said. "You don't have any pictures of him, do you? I'm afraid that was my last one."

"No, I don't," Carina honestly answered, "And did you say your last one?"

"Yes, I've been doing that for the past hour," Lily admitted. "I haven't been ripping them though, just smashing the pen through them and then setting them on fire to destroy the remainders. Of course it didn't do any good to my pen though, I've had to throw away three so far, but it does great things for the soul."

"Um, yeah, well as long as you're feeling better," Carina commented.

"And I am," Lily said.

"Actually, do you think you're up for seeing Jason quite yet?" Carina asked, praying that she was.

"Oh," was all Lily said. To be completely honest, she hadn't even thought of Jason. It didn't even register in her mind that she was still seeing him until that moment. As she thought about it, she wondered if she still should see him. He certainly didn't make her feel the way James did, she didn't need an expert to tell her that.

But then again, he was a good guy, a very nice person. Why shouldn't she still date him? Besides, it was bad enough losing James, she wasn't sure if she could lose Jason as well.

"Um, why?" Lily asked, trying to buy herself more time.

"I see him all the time at work, he just keeps on coming to see me and asking how you are. Oh, by the way, if he asks, from Saturday through Tuesday morning we were both away visiting my family. We had to come home early though because you caught an awful cold, one so bad we had to go to St. Mungos, and the medi-witches said that you weren't to leave the house and no one was to enter expect for me because I obviously wasn't going to get sick because I hadn't already," Carina said.

"What?"

"Just go with it, that's what I told him when I saw him on Tuesday," Carina answered.

"Um, alright, I'll remember that," Lily said, still avoiding the question of is she was ready to see him yet.

As she thought about it longer, why shouldn't she see him? James had obviously chosen to be with Emmy, so she could certainly choose to be with Jason. Besides, she was definitely over James, definitely.

"You know what," Lily said, "I think I will see Jason."

"Really?" Carina asked, surprise relevant in her voice.

"Yes, I mean, we're dating. We never stopped dating, and I'm certainly not going to let a little prat like James Potter get in the way of my relationship with other men," Lily answered, her response more for herself than Carina.

"Wow, well, good then. When I saw him today he mentioned something about some surprise he was dying to do for you," Carina informed her friend.

"Really?"

"Yup, he didn't say what it was though," she answered before Lily had a chance to ask.

"Wonder what it could be," Lily said aloud.

---

The next morning Lily was awoken by an owl tapping at her window. She grumbled something among the lines of, "stupid owls, always wake you up, bloody wizards."

She did get out of bed though and once her eyes adjusted to the light she recognized the owl at once. It was Jason's owl, Caesar. Lily let him in and took the letter from him. She looked around her room and finally found what she was looking for, owl treats. She handed him one and he was off at once.

Lily tore open the letter, her eyes scanning over his writing-

_Dear Lily, _

_I do hope that you're feeling better, I was awfully sorry to hear that you were sick. Anyways, I had actually planned a surprise for you, so if you are feeling up to it, please reply to this letter. If you're not, that's okay, I'll just stop by and we can hang out at your place. I honestly don't care if I get sick, I just want to see you. It seems like ages since we've been together. Besides, I wouldn't want you to worsen your cold, I just want you feeling better. _

_I hope to hear from you soon. _

_Love, _

_Jason _

Lily smiled at his letter, he was so thoughtful. He wouldn't have minded if she wasn't able to go with him to wherever the surprise was, he would be just as happy staying here with her.

He was just so sweet. This would be easy to get over James, very easy, especially with someone as nice as Jason.

She wrinkled up her nose at the thought of James, she made herself a promise that she wouldn't think of him anymore. But here she was, not even twelve hours into her promise and she's already broken it.

She grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a response to Jason, telling him she was definitely up for her surprise. She sent her owl off and headed toward the shower to get ready for the day.

Of course, the shower didn't ease her mind though. Her thoughts weren't about Jason and the surprise she was receiving. Instead the topic it focused on was that of James Potter. She wondered what he was doing right now: was he sleeping, eating breakfast, in the shower, at work? She wanted to know. She wanted to know if he was thinking about her. She wanted to know if he and Emmy were actually happy together. He wanted to know everything.

She wanted to if he thought about her at all, or if he completely shut her out of his mind the moment he didn't come to the bakery. She highly doubted the latter of the two though, he just wasn't that type of person.

Lily really wanted to know how he looked at Emmy though. She wondered if he made Emmy feel as special as he made her feel. She wondered if he ever stayed awake just to watch Emmy sleep, like she had caught him doing to her before. She wondered if he looked at Emmy with those adoring, caring eyes that could make her heart skip, and for that matter, did it make Emmy's heart skip. She wanted to know all of those, and so much more.

She tried to get the questions out of her mind, but unfortunately she couldn't. Even worse though, was when she was actually picturing him and Emmy together, longingly looking at each other. It made her want to cry, just the mental picture of it. She didn't though; she held her head strong instead.

When she finally finished her shower she put a simple drying spell on her hair, got dressed, and did all the necessary procedures in order to make herself look gorgeous for the day. And today, unlike the past days, she actually had make-up on and thong underwear. And she felt like a new woman in doing so.

"Lily," she heard Carina scream from the hallway.

"What?" Lily hollered back.

"Jason's here," Carina yelled once more.

Lily smiled as she got out of the bathroom and walked toward Jason. He looked adorable, hands down. He wore a pair of jeans and t-shirt, yet still looked amazing in such ordinary clothing. He wore a gigantic smile on his face when he saw her though, one that lit up the entire room.

"Lily, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm good," she replied.

"No sickness?" he asked.

"Nope, it's all gone," she answered, playing on Carina's lie.

"Good," he said as he took a step closer to her and placed a kiss on her lips. His lips were warm against her own, but it didn't feel like a usual kiss. It wasn't a bad kiss, just not what she expected, not what she was used to when she was with James.

She could have kicked herself for mentioning his name again. She decided after she got out of the shower that she wouldn't think or talk about him any more. Her thoughts in the shower were her last allowed thoughts. But here she was, once again breaking her promise to herself. This time she didn't even make it an hour though.

"Okay, are you ready for the surprise?" he asked.

"Of course I am," she answered.

"Okay, well, you're going to have to bring clothes that will last you through Monday," he told her.

"What?" she asked, totally thrown off by this.

"I've rented a house on a lake for the weekend. I've got four days off from work, and I thought it would be the perfect way to spend it," he excitedly answered.

"Oh wow, Jason, that sounds amazing," she replied.

"I knew you'd like it."

"Yup, I sure do," she said, "I'll just go and get some stuff together."

As Jason watched her turn around and head toward her room, he felt like the luckiest guy alive. He had a terrific girlfriend, one whom he loved very much. She was one of the sweetest, nicest, and funniest people he ever met. Not to mention one of the hottest girls he ever met. And he couldn't help but admire her outfit for today. She had on tight light blue jeans that showed off her every curve and a black, off the shoulder t-shirt on. Her hair was thrown back into a loose and low ponytail, and a few pieces of vibrant red hair were outlining her face.

Carina noticed Jason staring at Lily as she walked away. The look in his eyes truly did say that he loved her very much. Carina could only pray that Lily would realize this and forget about James and be with Jason.

Unfortunately, at this current moment in time, Carina's prayers were not being answered. In fact, just the opposite was happening.

Lily collapsed down on her bed, unsure of what she should do. She wasn't sure if she was up to spending an entire weekend with Jason. She knew that she could take one day. She knew that in one day, twenty four hours, that she wouldn't burst out in tears. But to reach through Monday without doing so, she wasn't sure that she could do it.

"Carina," she yelled from her room, not sure what to do.

"Yeah," she yelled back.

"Um, can you help me look for my green shirt?" she asked, thinking of the only lie that could work.

When Carina entered the room, Lily almost hugged her. "Carina, what am I going to do?" she asked, panic written all over her face.

"What do you mean? It's only a shirt."

"No, you dolt, I know where the shirt is," Lily snapped. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Lily, yes you can. I mean, look at you! You put make-up on this morning, and really tight jeans. And are those heels?" Carina asked.

"Well, yes," Lily said.

"See, you're definitely ready. A woman who wasn't ready wouldn't be able to wear heels," Carina said, making up everything she said as she went along.

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course," Carina replied.

"Okay, fine, I'll go. But if I need to get out you have to promise me you'll help me," Lily said.

"I will, but only if you really can't be there," Carina answered.

"Yeah, okay. If anything happens, I'll owl you and ask for help. Then you can owl me back saying, oh I don't know, say our apartment was robbed and I better get home quick," Lily said.

"Our apartment was robbed?" Carina skeptically asked.

"It could happen," Lily irritably replied.

"Whatever, I'll do it."

"Thanks, now will you help me pack?" Lily sweetly asked.

"Fine," Carina agreed as she tossed a few tops into Lily's open bag.

---

When Lily and Jason arrived at the lake house, Lily was in awe. It was truly gorgeous. The outside of the house had a small front lawn, not really revealing too much, basically ordinary. But the backyard was to die for. A large hammock hung outside, it was big enough to fit three people. Chairs were set up next to a large outdoor table. There was even a small boat tied to the dock. And the lake was huge and very private. Of course, this could have been due to the fact that it was spring and not warm enough to swim or even go on the boat without a heavy jacket on.

Lily truly loved the fact that she came, and she hadn't even been inside the house yet! But from the outside she could tell it was amazing as well. It was two stories high, and the second floor bedroom that overlooked the lake had a large balcony on it. She knew she would love to stargaze at night from up there.

When she opened the door to the house her suspicions of it being perfect were confirmed. A small, cute couch was in the sitting area, along with a muggle television. The kitchen was cute and homey.

As she made her way upstairs she noticed the magnificent pieces of art that hung from the wall, all famous paintings. Lily assumed that they were just prints, but still, it showed the great taste of the muggles who owned the house.

As she made her way upstairs she gasped at the bedroom. It was huge, and it almost took up the entire upstairs. The only other room up here was the bathroom. Lily plopped down on the king sized bed. It was so comfortable. She never wanted to get up.

She did though, when her gaze fell across the bathroom. It was attached to the room, so there was no need to go out into a hallway. As she reached the inside of the room, she gasped. There was a large shower with the most elegant fixtures she had ever seen. And there was a Jacuzzi inside as well. It was amazing, these were the latest inventions, only coming out a month ago, and here was one for her to use the entire weekend.

This place was great.

"So, do you like it?" Jason asked as he snuck up behind her and grabbed a hold of her stomach.

She lent back into his arms and replied, "This is amazing. Where'd you find it?"

"When I was younger my parents bought a house across the lake for us to spend our summers in. I always had such a great time on this lake, and I knew you'd like being here. So, I asked around and found out that the owners of this place rent it out every season expect for the summer."

"Well, I'm glad you did," she replied.

"Me too," he said right before kissing the top of her head.

He spun her around to face him and looked deep into her emerald eyes. That was his favorite part about Lily, her eyes. They were always so captivating, so incredible.

"We're alone at last," he commented before pulling her into a long kiss.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please remember to review!


	23. Daydreams & Lolicia’s

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to LeslieGlady, sblomie, padfootandprongs4ever, PammaPotter, Kristanna, Black's Gurl, pale pink roses, mereschino, KLLRS, tears unseen, lizziee, ozzie4, Jessie xxx, kelliethehottie, Obbsesive, Serena, Oorjit, and kelala for reviewing the old version of Love Affair!

Thanks to Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, i-LuV-cHaRmEd18, drumer girl, julies07, evahyoung, Liljean15690, wh00t, babi-gurl8907, asiangirl668, PFLuver, Juicilyn, thesweetestlittlejazzkiller, xxquidditchjunkiexx, babi-gurl-chels, bratski, AmongTheStars, Miss Myrtle360, Rose Angelz, BlueJeanmistress, piratequeen24, sugur-huny-bun, Sue, and xxxMs.Mexxx for reviewing chapter 23! You guys are seriously the best people out there! I love hearing your feedback so much! Thanks again!

_asiangirl668_ You'll have to wait and find out who chooses who! I've got it all planned out! Actually, I've had it all planned out since James didn't come to the bakery, and I'm been dieing to post it!

_BlueJeanmistress:_ Don't be sorry for asking questions, I love answering them! As for your first question, I'm afraid I can't answer that! I wish I could though! That scene will definitely be in the sequel though, so you'll find out sooner or later, I promise. Also, you've got a terrific memory for remembering that! As for your second question, I really wasn't happy with it. Looking back at the first few chapters I realized just how awful my writing was back then. I really wanted that changed. Also, it was just getting so off track from the affair, and it is called Love Affair for a reason. I really wanted to make it a sequel instead, wish I'd known that before! And at the point I was at, there wasn't a right spot for a sequel. In the long run, all of those chapters added up to something greater. But I promise you, this one will certainly not be deleted! And I'll have the other chapters that were here before in the sequel. And it doesn't keep me from updating either, well, maybe only ten minutes while I think of what to write. So, if you have any other question, I would be glad to answer them!

_sugur-huny-bun_ I'd say probably ten more chapters, maximum! But then I'll definitely write a sequel that continues on with the lives of Lily, James, and the gang!

* * *

"Believe it or not, but for some fucked up reason she actually really liked you." Carina's words echoed through his mind every day since he saw her on Tuesday, and today was Friday.

James couldn't shake the feeling out of his mind that he broke her heart. He, James Potter, had left Lily a mess twice now. Well, actually, the first time it was Lily who called off their relationship, but she was still a mess afterwards. This time though, it was his fault that she was like this. It was his fault that she crying her eyes out, it was all his fault.

He couldn't help but wonder what may have happened if he did show up to the bakery that afternoon. How would his life be different, how would Lily's life be different?

_"Morning," Lily's sweet voice said. _

_He knew it was her speaking, even though he couldn't see her yet. His eyes were still shut, but he was stretching out, showing obvious signs that he was indeed awake. _

_"I made pancakes," Lily said, trying to bribe him to get out of bed. _

_James took a deep breath in, inhaling the two best scents in the entire world: pancakes and Lily. He loved Lily's scent; it was hers, no one else's. James guessed that it was some sort of muggle perfume, one that smelt like freshness. _

_"Come on, get up," Lily said, sitting down next to him on the bed. _

_James then reached out and grabbed her around the waist, his eyes opening up just in time to see her shriek and fall over on top of him. _

_"James, let go," she whined. _

_"Not until I get my morning kiss," he replied. _

_She turned her head to face him, smiling her perfect smile and looking gorgeous. She didn't have any make-up on yet, but James loved her face just that way. It wasn't smothered with fakeness, like the stuff that Emmy wore, but it showed Lily's true self, her beautiful self. Not that Lily's make-up did take away from her beauty, she wore natural tones, just to enhance. _

_She leaned forward and popped a gentle kiss on his lips, making him grin beneath her touch. He loved this. He loved waking up too Lily's smile and kisses. _

_"Happy now?" she playfully asked. _

_"Almost," he told her before pulling her down for another round of kisses. _

_He felt her giggle beneath his lips as he kissed her. They weren't rough kisses, but sweet, gentle kisses instead. They were perfect morning kisses, the type that would make your morning ten times better than without them. _

_James pulled away and then said, "Alright, I'm ready now." _

_Lily could only laugh as a response. _

James smiled as he escaped from his fantasy. It was a perfect daydream. And everything in it seemed so real too, making it ten times better than it actually was.

His smiled immediately dropped to a frown though. He wasn't supposed to have these thoughts, not about Lily anyway. He wasn't supposed to fantasize about the way she moved about so gracefully, or the wonderful smell that was created whenever she walked into a room. He was supposed to dream about her sweet, perfect kiss, or about how her smile could make his day. No, he wasn't supposed to think of any of that.

So why was he? Why couldn't he get Lily Evans out of his mind?

Sure, she liked him, he knew that. Carina told him flat out a few days ago, but could that be why? Yes, he decided that was exactly why. That was exactly why he couldn't get Lily out of his mind. He just kept on thinking about how sad she must be.

But if that was it, then why didn't he ever dream up how sad she was? Why were his dreams always about the two of them, happy together?

He needed this all to go away, he needed to get Lily out of his mind.

He tried everything to do so, but nothing worked. First he tried working on the left over paperwork that he brought back form work that afternoon, hoping to get ahead in work over the weekend. But that didn't work. Every time he tried to fill out a report his mind went back to Lily.

His mind easily went back to how perfect she was; her silky smooth skin, her flawless smile, her soothing voice, her adorable laugh, and her eyes that could lock onto his with ease. Everything about her was amazing.

Then he went and got his broom and a quaffle. He went out to an old Quidditch Pitch, a very old one. It was never used anymore; it was much smaller than the normal sized ones too. But James found it to be a perfect place to fly around and throw the ball around.

Even here though, the spot that he usually went to when he needed to clear his mind, didn't work. Still, his mind went back to Lily. This time remembering past times together, back at Hogwarts. He remembered their first trip together at Hogsmeade. She didn't make him go to that ridiculous tea shop that opened up, like all his other dates had forced him to go to. Instead they went to a bunch of fun stores, even Zonko's. She was great.

Nothing would work for James, absolutely nothing. He didn't know what to do. If flying didn't work, what would?

Nothing, the answer was nothing, or at least that's what James concluded. Nothing could get his mind off of Lily Evans. And on the rare chance that he wasn't thinking of her, he saw something that reminded him of Lily.

Take yesterday, for example, James wasn't thinking of her at all. But then he started to read the Daily Profit, he read it late that day, once he got home from work. And on the second page there was a picture of a woman with deep, red hair. Hair that looked remarkably like Lily's. After seeing the picture, he couldn't get his mind off of Lily.

Just then he heard the doorbell ring. This would take his mind off of Lily, he was sure of it. Anyone coming to visit would occupy his thoughts.

When James opened the door he saw Remus standing on the other side.

"Remus, come on in," James said. Yes, Remus would definitely take his mind off of Lily.

"Hey, James," Remus replied, "How's life treating you?"

"Great," James answered, although he was dieing to say that it wasn't perfect, that Lily Evans was haunting his mind.

"Good, well I just came by to see how things are," Remus began, "Are you still with Emmy? Or did you actually follow my suggestion?"

James inwardly grumbled, Remus was not here to take his mind off of Lily. He was here to talk about Lily. How was he supposed to get her out of his mind with Remus wanting to discuss her?

"I'm still with Emmy, and perfectly happy with my decision," James answered.

"Okay," Remus said, sighing as he spoke.

"Okay," James said as well.

"You know, I saw her yesterday," Remus said.

"Lily?"

"Yeah, Lily," Remus replied.

"Where?"

"At the grocery store, she was picking up a few things," he responded.

"Did you talk to her?" James asked, anxious to hear more.

"No, I was with Elisa," Remus said.

"So you couldn't say hi when you were with your girlfriend?" he asked.

"No, it's just that we were talking to Elisa's boss, who we also ran into," Remus explained.

"Oh, okay," James said, and then after a few moments asked, "How'd she look?"

Almost immediately Remus replied, "She looked good."

James's heart sunk a bit. Lily looked good. He was slightly disappointed. He secretly wanted her to be a bit of a wreck, after all, she was practically dumped!

"Really gorgeous," Remus added, making Lily sound like a goddess. In reality though, when he saw Lily at the store, she was wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt, flip-flops, and her hair was back in some sort of messy concoction. True, even then she was a very attractive woman, but not nearly as dolled up as Remus was making it sound to be.

But Remus was determined to get James away from Emmy and back to Lily. She was right for him, he knew it. He knew that somehow, Lily was good for James. Remus didn't know why he felt this way, but call it animal instinct; he just knew that James and Lily were meant to be.

"Really?" James asked.

"Yeah, I got to say, if I weren't dating Elisa, I probably would have tried to ask her out or something," Remus said. Once again, a total lie. It wasn't as though he didn't find Lily attractive, he did, but he would never consider picking up some girl at a grocery store, it just wasn't his style.

"Are you serious?" James asked, he was somewhat alarmed.

"Yeah," Remus replied, and then said, "But that doesn't affect you, right? I mean, you said yourself, you and Emmy are very happy together."

"Um, yeah," James said, "It doesn't affect me. Why should it?"

"I'm not saying it should," Remus replied, "Anyway, I've got to go. See you later, James."

"Bye," he replied as he watched Remus leave his apartment.

James couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Lily was out and looking great, not the absolute wreck that he thought she'd be. Not the absolute wreck that Carina had said she was.

Then another thought entered his mind, was Carina lying to him? Did she lie about the entire situation just to make him feel bad?

Either way, James was mad. It wasn't right that Lily was out and enjoying herself this early. It just wasn't right, or fair. She was supposed to be a wreck, she was supposed to be crying her eyes out over him.

She was supposed to be thinking about him just as much as he was thinking about her. And from what Remus described, that certainly wasn't the situation. She was on with her life, and James, well, as much as he pretended he was, he actually wasn't.

James knew what he had to do, it was simple. It was the one way to get his mind off of Lily and show that he was having a good time too. He was going to take Emmy out. They hadn't actually gone out for a while, so now seemed like the perfect time.

He quickly scribbled a note down to Emmy and sent it off at once. He got his reply an hour later, saying she'd love to go out.

---

At eight o'clock sharp he apparated over to Emmy's apartment and picked her up for their night out. James stared at her once he saw her. She had on a short, red dress. It looked electrifying. It was strapless, and hugged every curve on her body. It probably reached to about half way down her thighs, and James instantly knew why he dated her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I can't wait," she answered.

At once they apparated over to the best salsa dance club in all of Wizard England, _Lolicia's._

"Oh, James, this is my absolute favorite place in the entire world!" Emmy shrieked as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the club.

James only smiled at her, but in the back of his head a small voice was coming out, reminding him of his last time here. He remembered it vividly, seeing Lily from across the dance floor. She was dancing with some blonde haired guy, and he quickly put an end to that, cutting him out of the picture and dancing with her himself.

He could still feel the touch of her hand on his shoulder, her other hand in his. He could vividly remember his hands on her waist, taking in her every move. He remembered her mini skirt, the one that rode up quite a bit, the tank top that exposed just enough to keep the mind guessing.

It was a great memory, one that at the time he never wanted to let go of. One that he used to want to keep forever.

Now though, he wanted it gone. He wanted every amazing moment he shared with Lily gone, and he wanted to replace it with memories of Emmy. And he was determined to do just that.

They headed toward the bar first, and James ordered them both a drink to start the evening. James stared at Emmy as she finished her drink and slammed it onto the bar counter, she gave James a look that said "stop drinking and get your ass out here."

He complied to her look at once and followed her out to the dance floor. She turned to face him and he watched as her hips moved to beat of the song. She had a look on her face that showed she was having a blast here, and James was glad to see that.

Then the song changed, and James recognized it at once. It was the first song that he and Lily danced to when they were here.

He held one of Emmy's hands in his own and the other he placed on her fast moving hip. He wanted to pay attention to pleased expression on her face, the sexy dress she wore, and just being here with her, but he couldn't.

He could remember Lily perfectly though. He could easily picture the devilish look in her brilliant eyes, edging him closer, but also turning him away. It was a teasing matter between them both, knowing that Lily wanted him just as bad as he wanted her.

"Come on Jamie," Emmy whispered into his ear as she ran her fingers up and down his forearm.

He danced with Emmy some more, but his mind still drifted back to Lily. He remembered the kiss they shared. It was tiny, miniscule, but felt like fireworks exploded right there. It was a miracle that they didn't leave right then and there for his apartment, but they somehow controlled themselves.

He remembered the electricity between them was incredible. It was as if her body fit perfectly with his. He remembered being enticed by her every move, her every look. It was as if she had a spell upon him, one that her devious eyes could only control.

"James," Emmy hissed.

"What?" he asked, coming back to reality.

"Are you okay? You keep on spacing off, the song's changed, you can't go at the same tempo," she informed him.

"Sorry," he told her, and then said, "Emmy, I'm going to get another drink, you want one?"

"James, we didn't come here to drink, we came to dance," she whined.

"Emmy," he said, giving her a look that said "cut it out or else."

"Fine," she grudgingly said, following him over to the bar.

He ordered another drink for himself, but couldn't bring himself to drink it. He looked out at the crowd instead, still imagining him and Lily out there together, still fantasizing about their dance together.

"Emmy," he finally said, "I think we should leave."

"What?" she asked.

James couldn't tell her that being here was too intense for him, that it reminded him of Lily too much to concentrate on anything else. So, instead he said, "I think we could have a better time at my apartment."

"James, do you think of anything besides sex?"

"It's just that I remembered that I hate salsa dancing," he lied.

She let out a very long sigh, but then said, "Fine, James, fine. I'll just get someone else to come with me another time."

"Sorry," he told her.

"Whatever, let's just go back to your place. It's only nine, so we can do something there," she said while looking up at the clock on the wall inside the bar area.

"Thanks," he said before the two of them apparated back to James's apartment.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Okay, I hope you all liked the chapter, especially since this is the fourth rendition that I wrote of it! I'm dead serious, I wrote three other versions of this chapter, all very different, and all about this length. But I wasn't happy with any of then until now! Also, I promise that Lily and James will get together soon, so don't worry! Anyways, I'd love to hear your feedback, so please remember to review!


	24. Stargazing & Photographs

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to LeslieGlady, PammaPotter, lOvEiNhEaVeN, albus's bitch, Black's Gurl, sblomie, Jessie xxx, Kristanna, lizziee, Obbsesive, KLLRS, Blackgirl5, pale pink roses, padfootandprongs4ever, kelala, Desolation Lily, and britboyzrsexy78 for reviewing the old version of Love Affair!

Thanks to i-LuV-cHaRmEd18, MayaAdin, On3-ShoT, julies07, siriusforeva, Juicilyn, hpandfriendsruletheworld, sugur-huny-bun, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, xxquidditchjunkiexx, Arista Ramabra, Miss Myrtle360, Rose Angelz, Flame Of Desire, Brighton Baby, x0x-Mystique-x0x, babi-gurl8907, bananaslugg, batski, and BlueJeanMistress for reviewing! You guys are seriously, 100 no doubt, the best people in the entire world! And I promise, Lily and James will be together soon! So no worries!

_On3-ShoT:_ Yes, I love Remus too! As for Sirius, he's probably off with his latest girlfriend or at work. He's not really in this story, he's not a major character yet. He'll be in the sequel though, I promise! And I'm glad to hear that you like where the story is going!

_Miss Myrtle360:_ I've been looking over my reviews (great inspiration!) and I've noticed how amazing your reviews always are. So, I just wanted to say an extra special thanks. Honestly, I look forward to your reviews; they always seem to make me smile. So, really, thanks so much!

_Brighton Baby:_ Oh wow, I didn't even realize that! Thanks for pointing out that typo! I'm going to fix it right away!

_BlueJeanMistress:_ Haha, more questions! That's great though! Um, I think that AU means like some other character. Like, for instance, if my story were to include Lily, James, Sirius and some girl that Sirius dated, then she would be an AU character, only if she were a main character though. At least that's what I think it is, I could be totally wrong, but it's my guess. And I have no clue what beta stands for, I actually just found out what one was a couple weeks ago! And I'm glad to hear that you still are enjoying my story!

* * *

His kisses tasted exactly how she remembered them. A distant taste of coffee, followed by a faded minty refreshness. The kisses were long and tender, very Jason-like.

He lifted her up a bit and pulled her over to the bed. He placed her lightly on top of it, never breaking their contact. She felt his hands slide up the back of her shirt, unhooking her bra immediately.

His hands roamed her entire body, yet, it felt different, and not a good different. Actually, it was a familiarity, but not a familiarity that Lily enjoyed. His hands were rough, much rougher than James's. He didn't move sensually, instead his movements were jerky and absurd.

She felt his hands leave her top and make their way down to her jeans, trying to unbutton them. Her heart was beating fast, but not in a good way. She didn't have that nervous, yet pleasurable feeling that she had with James. Instead, it was feeling if whether this was actually a good idea or not.

It wasn't, she could tell when his lips began to kiss her neck.

"Jason," Lily said.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking up into her emerald eyes.

"I've got my period," she lied. Her response was blunt, not the nervous way she regularly said it when it actually did come.

"What?" he asked, a little disappointment shown on his face.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I wish there was something I could do about it, but nature calls," she told him.

He rolled off of her, collapsing his head on the soft pillows.

"Sorry," she said once more.

"Eh, it's not your fault," he simply said.

"Maybe, maybe by Monday it'll be gone," she said, trying to make him feel somewhat better.

"It doesn't matter," he replied, wanting nothing more than to get off of this subject and onto one more comfortably shared by both men and women.

"So, what do you want to do?" Lily asked, sitting up and looking down at him.

"I don't know, we could go out for a boat ride," he said.

"Yeah, that'd be fun," she said, a large smile on her face. The smile was not only for the pure fun of the ride, but also the fact that Jason couldn't possibly steer a boat and kiss her at the same time.

She put on a heavy jacket and followed him onto the small speed boat. It could probably fit five people at most, but it was a cute little boat. She took a seat on the opposite side of the boat than Jason and watched as he maneuvered the boat out of the dock and onto the brilliantly lit lake.

"This is fun," she told him.

"Yeah," he replied, keeping his eyes on the water in front of him.

"Did you go on lots of boat rides when you were a kid?" she asked, trying to break the somewhat awkward silence that was present in the air.

"Um, not so much. We had a canoe when I was a kid, but that's it. My mum refused to row it; she said it hurt her arms too much. So it really was just my father and I going out onto it," Jason replied.

"So, which house was yours?" she asked.

"It's not here any more, they tore it down and built a bigger house," he answered.

She could sense the sadness in his voice, knowing that a home is much more than just a house, especially when you're a child. "That's too bad."

"Yeah," he replied.

"It's certainly chilly out," she commented.

"Are you cold? Because you can wear my jacket if you want," he offered.

"That's sweet, but I'm fine," she answered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she replied, getting a bit irritated that he wouldn't let the subject of needing a jacket go.

---

An hour later they were back at the house and Jason was soaking wet. Unfortunately for him, the waves found him very appealing and crashed up onto him all throughout the night. Lily, on the other hand, was almost completely dry. She was splashed a couple times, but dried quickly.

"Uh, I'm going to take a shower," Jason told her.

"Alright," she said as they walked into the bedroom.

Once Jason was in the bathroom, she wandered over to the window and looked up at the sky. She could see so many stars, it was breath-taking. She had seen this many stars only once before, when she was at Hogwarts.

She remembered that evening perfectly, it being her favorite memory of James. They had been dating for nearly a month when he decided to surprise her one Saturday night. She remembered him showing her his invisibility cloak, and the two of them huddled underneath it and left the castle.

She had never left the castle when it wasn't permitted before, but with James she felt that it was okay. She felt safe with him.

He led her to an empty patch of grass right outside the front door, and then took the cloak off of them. When she asked what the surprise was, he told her to look up. And when she did, she saw stars filling the black sky. The moon was gone that night, making the stars look even more radiant that usual.

He lied down on the grass, and she followed his action. His arms were crossed behind his neck, making a small pillow for his head, she did the same once more. He asked her about the stars, and if she liked to just watch them. She truthfully told him that she had never thought about it before, but by the end of the night, her answer changed. She loved to stargaze.

She loved it when he would point out certain constellations, then told the story behind each one. She was amazed at how much he knew about them, shocked that he took the time to learn so many.

What she loved most about that night though, was the fact that there were no silences between them. For some odd reason, the stars gave them each courage to tell their life stories to each other. In fact, they had spent the entire night together, just talking. It wasn't until they saw the sun come up did they decide to wander back up to their dormitories.

Lily still smiled as she remembered her perfect evening. She probably learned more about James that night than all the other nights combined. She learned about his parents, his dreams to be an auror, the pressure his father put on him to make the Quidditch team, the stress his mother put on him to become Head Boy, the disappointment in her voice and eyes when he didn't make Prefect. He told her everything, and she returned the favor by opening up completely to him, telling him all of her dreams and hopes for the future.

She smiled once more, but drifted away from the window sill and over to the desk that sat near the bed. She took a seat and roamed through the drawers, she wasn't sure what she was looking for, but knew exactly what she wanted when she did come across it.

It was a picture of the family that owned this house, or at least that's what she guessed. They were definitely a muggle family, she could tell by the clothing and the fact that it was a still picture.

Her eyes first locked on the father. He looked like a sturdy guy, probably a good provider for his family. He smiled, but it wasn't directed toward the camera. Instead his eyes were looking toward the woman and child to his left.

Lily guessed the woman was his wife. She was very pretty, but not in an obvious way. She certainly wasn't drop dead gorgeous, and probably would never win a beauty pageant. But it was the glow on her face and the laughter in her eyes that made her beautiful. She was looking down at her daughter, as was her husband.

The child looked to be three years old, an adorable little girl. She had her mother's brown hair and her father's blue eyes. Her mouth was wide open, and Lily guessed that she was singing some song, one that would make her parents smile.

They looked like a happy family, a truly wonderful family.

She felt her heart throb as she looked at the photograph. She couldn't help but be envious of this. It was everything she ever wanted. She wanted a husband, she wanted a child, she wanted to laugh at the silly things that kids do. She wanted to love her husband and children more than anything else in the world. She wanted to have a picture where no one was actually looking at the camera, but at each other, in a loving way. She didn't want the formal, no surprises way of living. She wanted this picture to become her life.

"What're you doing?" Jason asked as he came out of the bathroom. His hair was still wet, and he was wearing his boxers and a t-shirt.

"Nothing," she answered, shoving the picture back into the drawer.

Then a thought came into her mind, and she asked, "Jason, have you ever looked at the stars?"

He glanced out the window and noted their presence, "Just did."

"No, I mean really look at them. You know, spend hours just staring up at them," she said.

"Um, no," he answered.

"Do you want to?"

"Lily, I honestly find it a waste of time. If you want to go look at stars, you are free to do so, but I'd rather not," he told her.

"They're more fun to watch when you're not alone," she told him.

"Then wait until we go back home and have Carina go out there with you," he replied, pulling a copy of the Daily Prophet out from his suitcase. He sat on the bed and opened it up, reading the headlines for that day.

She sat there and watched him, and knew that something wasn't right.

"Jason, will you please come watch the stars with me?" she asked once more.

He sighed and lowered his newspaper slightly, "Why is this so important to you?"

"I don't know, it just is," she told him.

"Can it wait twenty minutes?" he asked. He sounded bored, and Lily knew that he wasn't interested in watching the stars with her at all.

She didn't say anything and he continued to read his paper.

Her eyes lingered back toward the drawer with the picture in it and the answer suddenly struck her. This wasn't the life she wanted. She was no where close to achieving her dreams, no where close to having the life she always wanted.

"Jason," she slowly said.

"What?" he asked, sighing once more as he lowered the paper again.

"We, we need to talk."

"About what?" he asked.

Lily walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, her feet dangling off the side. She took his hand in hers, forcing him to sit in her direction.

"Jason, you're an amazing guy, you really are," she began. "But, God this is really hard, we, we're not…"

"Lily, what are you trying to say?" he asked, looking genuinely concerned.

She got up, breaking her hand away from his. She walked over to the desk and took out the picture of the family. She looked down at their smiling faces and knew that she was doing the right thing.

She walked back over to the bed and sat down, "Jason, do you see these people?"

"Um, yeah," he answered, and then asked, "Who are they?"

"I, I think they own this place," she told him.

"Okay," he said, not sure where this conversation was going.

"I want to be like them."

"Muggles?" he confusedly asked.

"No," she said as she shook her head, "Jason, do you see them smiling. They're not smiling at the camera, they're smiling at each other. They love each other."

"Wait, do you want kids?" he asked, a very frightened look on his face.

"No, Jason, you're missing what I'm trying to say," she told him.

"Well, then what is it?"

"Jason, I want what they have. I want to have a family someday, and I want to look at my husband and children the way that they look at each other," she told him, holding back the tears that desperately wanted to be released.

"We have that, don't we?"

Lily shook her head, a few tears escaping her emerald eyes. "No, Jason, we don't."

"Is this about the star thing?" he asked.

"No, Jason, it's not. It's about you and me, it's about us."

"But, but, Lily I love you," he told her.

"No, Jason, don't say that."

"But it's true," he desperately told her.

"Jason," she began.

"No, Lily, I do look at you like that, and you look at me like that," he said.

"Jason, no we don't. And I wish we could, I wish that we did love each other, because you are one of the greatest guy's I've ever met," she honestly told him, "But we're not that way. And I know that if we stay together, we won't be happy, not in five years from now."

"Lily," he said once more, a pleading tone in his voice.

"Jason, we don't love each other. You may think that we do, I mean, we both thought that we did, but that's not love. It's a pretend love, it's not real, we just both wished that it was," she told him. She did sound upset by this, she truly did.

But she knew that she was right. She knew that she would never be truly happy with Jason, and by not being happy with him, he would never be happy with her. She also knew that once you loved someone, you knew exactly what love was. The fake love that she and Jason shared wouldn't cut it anymore, and she needed real love.

"Lily, please, give me another chance," he begged.

"Jason, I'm sorry, I really am. You're a great guy, and someday you're going to make someone very happy, but it can't be me," she told him.

She leaned forward and gave him a giant hug, which he graciously returned. "I'm sorry, Jason."

"I'm sorry too," he told her as they released each other from their grip.

"I've, I've got to go now, but, but I'll see you around," she said, tears now fully running down her cheeks.

"Bye," he said as he watched her apparate out of his apartment. And when he was alone, he sat down on the bed again and cried.

---

Carina was sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine when she saw Lily burst open their front door. She had a suitcase in her hand and a tearstained face.

"Lily, what happened?" Carina asked, throwing her magazine down and leaping to her feet.

Lily looked over at Carina and smiled before replying, "I don't love Jason."

"Lils, what happened?" Carina asked again. This time though, she sounded more curious that concerned.

"I realized something that deep down inside I've known all along," Lily answered. "I don't love Jason, and he's not the guy that's going to make me happy."

"Lily," Carina said.

"He doesn't make me weak in the knees whenever I see him, he doesn't make my heart skip a beat whenever I think of him. He's not the guy that's going to be there for better or for worse. He's not the guy that I want to grow old with. He's not the guy that can bring a smile to my face with just one simple kiss. But most of all, he's not the guy that I'm madly in love with," she said, more tears running down her face as she spoke.

"Come on, let's get you all cleaned up," Carina said as she led them to the bathroom. She ran the water and pulled out a washcloth for Lily, acting very motherly. Lily took it and washed her face, feeling the steamy hot water soak up her tears, and with it, her fears.

"Carina, thanks for everything," Lily said, turning to face her best friend.

"It was nothing," she replied, and then asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to go get the man of my dreams back," Lily replied, a smile appearing on her face once more.

Carina smiled back at her and hugged her tightly. She knew that this would do Lily some good. She now knew that no matter how hard she wanted Lily to stay away from him, her heart would always lead her back to him. She now knew that James Potter was the guy that Lily needed.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Hey guys, I hope you all liked the chapter! Please let me know what you think, I love your feedback!


	25. This Kiss

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to pale pink roses, Black's Gurl, Jessie xxx, PammaPotter, lOvEiNhEaVeN, albus's bitch, sblomie, Babigirl2246, Kristanna, Tunnel'sEndingLight, kelala, lizziee, LeslieGlady, Desolation Lily, sassafras, KLLRS, damned for eternity, lily, hpjsr, Vitamin, dee, and Amorette for reviewing the original Love Affair!

Thanks to x0x-Mystique-x0x, Juicilyn, always-blond, Mr. Corso, drumer girl, marrokinhas, Katty03, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, On3-ShoT, sugur-huny-bun, BlueJeanMistress, Miss Myrtle360, Lo, LittleSunflower, evahyoung, Rose Angelz, Cora-leanna, wefeedowls, Tina, babi-gurl8907, xxquidditchjunkiexx, wh00t, polkaducksxd, -lily-potter-wannabe-, julies07, bratski, Percephone, piratequeen24, xXGryffinxWingsXx, hpandfriendsruletheworld, Chelles, babi-gurl-chels, Brilover, Vanessa, and bananaslugg for reviewing! Wow, I think that's the most reviews I've ever gotten for one chapter! You guys are truly amazing!

_Juicilyn_ You caught a mistake of mine! Oh God, I'm getting pretty bad at catching these things during the editing process! Thanks for pointing that out!

_Katty03_ Oh wow, thanks for pointing that out to me! I must have mixed up the two! Although, actually I didn't know about the alternate universe thing until now, only the other character! And as for your question, Sirius isn't really a major character in this story. He may appear again before it ends, but I'm not making any promises. He will definitely be in the sequel though!

* * *

Lily's heart was racing even faster as she walked from the alley that she apparated into toward James's apartment. She felt the butterflies in her stomach swarming like a man on fire, or actually, twenty men on fire.

She was nervous, but excited. She wondered what she would say when she saw him, or even what he would say to her. The only thing she did know though, was that this was the only thing that would make her happy. She needed to see James, she needed to hear his voice again.

As she neared his building, she felt rain pour down onto her head. It wasn't a light rain, it was downpour. She looked up and saw dark, stormy looking clouds covering the night's sky. She was amazed at how a small location change could make a huge difference between torrential downpours and a clear sky.

Her heart pounded as she entered the apartment, saying a simple spell to unlock the massive door that only residents had keys to.

She whipped her head around and saw what she was looking for, the stairs. They were so familiar, and she wanted them to become even more familiar. She wanted to have to climb them every day; she wanted to see James everyday.

At each step she took her heart beat increased. The butterflies in her stomach beat their wings faster and faster. She heard a clap of thunder and saw a bolt of lightening not far from here.

She had two more flights of stairs to figure out what she was going to say, two more flights before she saw James again. She was both eager and anxious for the moment that the door would open.

She wanted desperately to see his face again, to hold him in her arms, to be held in his arms. She wanted nothing more than to feel the soft, gentle touch of his lips on hers. She wanted to feel the heat from his body warm her instantly, warm her spirits as well. She wanted to curl up on the couch with him, talking as they watched the bolts of lightening threaten the sky.

But on the other hand, what was she going to say? What would she say when she came face to face with him? Her mind was racing with different scenarios, all sounding worse than the previous.

She wondered if she should just flatly say what was on her heart, that she missed him and couldn't stand to be apart from him any longer. Or maybe she should walk in there and tell him that she loved him. She easily shook that choice out of her mind, she wasn't about to go and scare him with the loving you status yet.

She had less than one flight of stairs left now, and still didn't have a clue as to what she should say. She thought about just saying that she was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by for shelter from the storm, but realized how stupid that sounded.

A quarter of the flight of stairs was left and the butterflies were in high effect. Her heart was pounding, and she felt like she was high on adrenaline.

In a matter of seconds she was standing at his door, and she suddenly thought that if she ran away, everything would be better. But deep down inside, she knew that wasn't the answer, she knew she needed to talk to James. She knew that if she backed out now, she'd regret it for the rest of her life.

She shut her eyes quickly and then opened them just in time to knock on the door.

Lily saw the handle turn and her heart sped up to the maximum level possible. The door opened and the butterflies increased.

"Hello," came a voice that Lily didn't expect to hear at all.

It wasn't James, it was Emmy! Lily felt her eyes go wide and her heart weaken. Emmy was in James's apartment. James wasn't alone. He did love Emmy.

Lily felt her heart come crashing down. She went from an all time high, to an all time low. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been. Of course Emmy would be here, of course James still loved Emmy.

"Who's at the door?" James called from his room.

Neither girl said anything, nor did they move.

James walked out from his room wearing a pair of jeans and buttoning up his shirt as he walked. He stopped dead when he saw Lily standing there, and Lily felt like crying when she saw him.

"Oh God," she whispered to herself. She turned from her spot and started to run down the stairs, she had to get away. She needed air. She needed to get away. As she bolted for dear life down those stairs, she felt like a trapped animal, trying to get away, but not succeeding.

When she finally saw the front door, she felt like crying out of joy. She was almost gone, she was almost free.

Out in the street she let her tears run wild, figuring that the rain would mess up her make-up just as much, and no one would know the difference. Now all she had to do was reach the alley and apparate home.

---

James was shocked to see Lily standing at his front door. He hadn't expected to see her ever again, apart from his dreams anyway. But when he saw her, he felt rejuvenated. He felt like he found the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Her hair was matted down to her face, wet and tangled from the rain, but he didn't care. Her skin was dripping wet, but it didn't matter to him. Her clothes were concealing and also damped, but it didn't matter to him. Nothing mattered except for the fact that Lily was there.

He blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, she was running away from him. His heart sped up, not believing what he was seeing. How could she leave? How could she be leaving him?

He dropped the shirt from his grasp, not caring that the top buttons weren't done yet. He didn't care. All he knew was that he needed to get to Lily. He needed to see her again. He needed to tell her how stupid he was. He needed to tell her that he loved her- well, maybe not that far, he didn't want to scare her off. But he did need to tell her something, anything that would make her stay.

"James, where are you going?" Emmy asked as he ran past her.

He paused for a second and looked at her straight in the eye. His heart gave a sudden lurch, and that's when it hit him. He didn't love Emmy.

He never did love Emmy. How could he? He'd been in love with Lily Evans ever since their fifth year, and once you start loving someone, you can't ever stop. James knew that was completely true too, he never stopped loving Lily. All those years, even after their first break-up, he had never been as memorized as when he was with Lily. He had never had as much fun, laughter, or tender moments as he did with Lily. He had never quite been himself without Lily in his life.

He wondered how he could have ever chosen Emmy over Lily. Lily was his soul mate, the one person he knew he'd be happy with for the rest of his life. The one woman that through the best and the worst, he'd always love. The one woman that could always bring out the best in him. He needed Lily Evans; he needed her more than life itself.

He tried to motion with his hands, but it didn't do any work. Emmy was standing there, a puzzled look on her face.

"I'll explain later," he yelled before bolting down the steps of the building, taking them two at a time.

He needed to catch up to Lily. He couldn't afford to have her get away, not again. He already made the mistake twice before, and he wasn't about to let the love of his life escape this time. No, he certainly wasn't letting her go.

"Lily," he yelled as he opened the front door.

He turned his head in both directions, and then saw her to his left. She was walking fast, and James knew he'd have to run to catch up to her.

"Lily, wait," he called out, getting closer to her with each step.

She didn't stop though, and he wasn't sure if it was because she couldn't hear him, or she chose not to hear him. He ran faster, his heart beating so fast it felt like it was about to explode.

"Lily," he said, grabbing her arm as he finally caught up to her speed.

"What do you want?" she snapped, replacing her tears and sorrows with anger and bitterness.

She stared deep into his eyes, absorbing his every thought and desire. She felt her heart speed up once more, but this time it was different. It was a good feeling, a wonderfully amazing feeling.

He didn't want to break his gaze on her emerald eyes, but at the same time, could only think of one way to explain what he wanted. He kissed her.

When their lips touched, Lily felt all her anger melt away. She felt like she was in heaven, a blissful girl floating on cloud nine. The kiss calmed both of them down, their adrenaline levels coming down and into a relaxed zone.

The kiss made them feel invincible. It was as if the loud claps of thunder had disappeared, the lightening stopping in time. The rain drops didn't matter, nothing mattered except the two of them. Nothing mattered except their kiss.

His arms dropped around her waist, holding her petite form close to his body. He kissed her like there was no tomorrow, as if making up for the last few days.

When they broke apart, they were both gasping for air. It was an incredible kiss, a truly breath-taking kiss.

A loud crash of thunder boomed right above their heads, bringing them both back to reality and away from their perfect kiss.

Lily jumped a bit at the sound, and then said, "James."

"Lily, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he told her.

"For what?" she asked, hopeful tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Everything," he said, still holding onto her arms. "I'm sorry for everything."

He leaned forward once more and kissed her lips again. She could taste the rainwater that was soaking him.

Once the kiss was broken, Lily looked at him once more. His eyes were pleading with hers, begging for forgiveness. His hair was matted down his head, quite unusual compared to his normal mess. His breaths were still sharp, and his grip on hers arms was tight.

"Why didn't you come?" she asked, her voice was shaky and weak.

"I was a bloody fool," he answered, "But I've missed you so much. There hasn't been a day that I haven't dreamed about you, or thought about what you were doing. I've been jealous of Jason every single day."

"What about Emmy?" she asked, tears still pouring from her eyes.

"Fuck Emmy, I don't give a damn about her, Lils, all I care about is you," he replied. His face looked genuine and sincere.

Lily was trying to keep her smile from appearing, but found it very difficult. This was exactly what she wanted to hear. She wanted to know that he cared about her, and not Emmy, and that's exactly what she got.

She shut her eyes to hold back more tears, these ones from pure happiness. "Come here," she told him, escaping from his grip and placing her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her wet body.

James let out a sigh of comfort as he held his dream girl in his arms. He felt like the luckiest man alive. Here he was, in the middle of a deserted street holding a beautiful girl in his arms during a thunderstorm. Even through all of the crashes and booms from the rapid sky above, he felt safe and comforted, as did Lily.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Hey guys, I hope you all liked the chapter! They are finally together! Yeah! I know it's not that long, and the next chapter won't be either. But I feel that they are both chapters that need to be by themselves, and combining them will completely ruin the affect I'm going for. So, I hope that's okay with you guys, I'll update quickly though, I promise. Anyways, your feedback is the most inspiring thing I could get right now, so please review!


	26. Another Perspective

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to to lizziee, miss-mags-ak, Kristanna, lOvEiNhEaVeN, KLLRS, LeslieGlady, angelfire33, PammaPotter, Black's Gurl, Love Her Madly, Babigirl2246, pale pink roses, Marshmellow, Serena van der Woodsen, hpjsr, Desolation Lily, dee, Miss Mills, sblomie, Serena and ilovecaptainjacks for reviewing the old version of Love Affair!

Thanks to Chelles, evahyoung, Elven R0se, On3-ShoT, iris2489, Flame Of Desire, Percephone, sunlitmist, blaiselover, sugur-huny-bun, BlueJeanMistress, Miss Myrtle360, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, always-blond, wizemunkee006, Juicilyn, x0x-Mystique-x0x, babi-gurl8907, Christie, me, polkaducksxd, Tearful Sins, babi-gurl-chels, Faith Forever in Harry, julies07, piratequeen24, drumer girl, cupcakes-20, bratski , -lily-potter-wannabe-, Arista Ramabra, wh00t, Vanessa, thesweetestlittlejazzkiller, xXGryffinxWingsXx, and dracomalfoysdragon for reviewing! You all are simply amazing!

_Fae:_ I'm sorry that you felt that this chapter was, what was the word you used, "shitty." But I've got to say, you didn't back yourself up very well on trying to prove your point. In case you didn't realize this, in the last chapter, she went to go get him back, as in she loved him so much that it would be more painful to sit back and watch him disappear than talk to him and try to win his heart over. In chapter 24, Lily realized that she couldn't live without him. I guess you didn't pick up on that though.

_x0x-Mystique-x0x_ You'll have to wait and find out! That's all I'm going to say. Also, I'm glad you liked the chapter!

**Note:** I am very aware that this chapter is very short, uncharacteristically short. I know, but please do not be upset by this! I'll add the next chapter very soon!

* * *

When Emmy opened the door to James's apartment, she didn't expect her life to change just like that, but it did. She hadn't expected to see some woman standing out there, a woman that looked familiar, yet she couldn't quite place her.

She hadn't expected to see the woman's face so miserable, so heartbroken. She hadn't expected to see James with an expression to match either. She hadn't expected to see James run after her as well; she hadn't expected him to run outside in the rain for this woman.

But it did happen. All of that happened the moment she opened the door and saw that red haired, green eyed woman standing there.

Emmy was shocked to see James Potter run away from her, and toward the red haired woman. Most of all though, she was confused, confused at what this all meant.

Being the curious witch that she was, she went to the window to watch for her boyfriend and that other woman. It was difficult to see though; rain was splattered all along the glass. It was also dark outside, the only available light being that from the many lampposts.

She strained her eyes to see them, and as she did, a loud crash of thunder sounded from the sky. She jumped a bit, it sounded like it was directly overhead the apartment building.

Emmy's heart began to pound as she frantically looked around the room. She needed her wand. She needed to clear the window from all the drops of liquid. She needed to see what was going on with her boyfriend and the red haired woman.

She found it quickly and said a simple spell to clear the window of the raindrops. It still wasn't good enough though. She could easily make out where the two people were, but couldn't see what they were saying, or even what they were doing.

She said another spell, turning a pillow into a pair of binoculars. She could focus perfectly on the street below her. Now all she had to do was look for James.

In a matter of seconds she saw him. He was holding the red haired girl tightly to his chest.

Emmy shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to see the scene below her. But then opened them once more, knowing that her curiosity would force her to look out the window.

She saw James kiss the red haired girl. It wasn't a quick, peck on the lips kiss. It was long, one that was reserved for couples.

Her breathing was getting even more rapid. Her mind was swarmed with thoughts. Did James seriously just kiss that girl? What did it mean? Did he love that girl? Were he and Emmy over with?

She took one hand off of the binoculars and started to fan herself, trying to get some air to her face. She just couldn't believe what she was seeing. She couldn't believe her life was turned upside down in a matter of minutes.

She then focused in on James and the woman once more. Their kiss was finished and she watched as the woman wrapped her arms around James's neck, and James wrapped his arms around her petite waist. Emmy squinted her eyes a bit as she stared directly into the woman's face. She knew she knew her. Just from where?

Then it hit her. She was Lily Evans. The red haired woman was Jason's girlfriend, the one that was at the dinner with her, James, and Jason. She was the girl that Emmy was suspicious of cheating on Jason.

Emmy felt stupidity rise through her entire body. She knew that this girl was cheating on her boyfriend all along, but hadn't realized that her accomplice in crime was James. Her heart sunk as she clearly remembered telling Jason about her thoughts. She was such an idiot. How could she not realize that James was cheating on her with this woman all along?

She felt tears swell up in her eyes, forcing her to drop her binoculars on the floor. James had cheated on her. James Potter, the man that she trusted more than anyone, had cheated on her. She felt betrayed, how was she ever going to trust anyone again?

How could he do this to her? How could he see her everyday, while at the same time, sleep with another woman. How could he look her in the eye and tell her that he loved her when he had been secretly sleeping with this tramp?

Her breathing increased once more. This time though, it was out of rage. How could he do this to her! How could he! How dare he do this to her!

She glared out the window, her eyes barely more than a slit. She felt rage build up inside her. Her hands were balled up into little fists, her own nails digging into her palms, leaving deep marks. She didn't notice this though. She didn't notice the pain; she was too concentrated on her anger toward these two people.

James Potter and Lily Evans were going to pay for this. She didn't know how, but she knew that they weren't going to get away with this.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Hey guys! I hope you all liked the chapter! I know that it was very, very short, but don't be mad please! It would ruin it if I added any more. But I do promise that I'll update quickly to make up for it! I hope that you'll all review and tell me what you think! Thanks!


	27. One Cries, One Laughs

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to cilverblood, KLLRS, dee, Tunnel'sEndingLight, Desolation Lily, Love Her Madly, Black's Gurl, PammaPotter, lizziee, ilovecaptainjacks, pale pink roses, Babigirl2246, Obbsesive, Kristanna, miss-mags-ak, Lilyflower626, Miracle Girls, padfootandprongs4ever, Serena, Jules713, Nour, albus's bitch, lOvEiNhEaVeN, sblomie, hpjsr, potterchic, and sassafras for reviewing the old version of Love Affair!

Thanks to CrazzyD', marrokinhas, Juicilyn, evahyoung, Katty03, MayaAdin, Faith Forever in Harry, charspleenie, julies07, xxquidditchjunkiexx, drumer girl, bananaslugg, xXGryffinxWingsXx, i-LuV-cHaRmEd18, Fiery Flower, sunlitmist, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, sugur-huny-bun, BlueJeanMistress, Miss Myrtle360, iris2489, thesweetestlittlejazzkiller, dracomalfoyus, Lily Nido, kkroonie, piratequeen24, 0pera3mm, Hurleygurl, lissy, mugglemagician, and riotgirl72 for reviewing! You all are seriously the best! And guess what, who ever reviews this chapter first will be #1000! It's so exciting! I'm like jumping with joy! Thank you all so, so much!

* * *

James let out a long sigh as he trudged up the stairs to Emmy's apartment building. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but knew he had to do this. He had to go up there and tell Emmy the truth. He had to tell her that their relationship was over; he had to tell her about Lily.

He certainly didn't want to do this. If he had it his way, he'd just ignore Emmy until she got the message. Or maybe write her a letter, telling her the basics. That way he would ever have to see his soon to be ex-girlfriend.

But he couldn't do that. Lily wouldn't let. She told him that it would be unfair to everyone, herself, James, and Emmy. So, here he was now, taking the hard way of life.

Once he reached the familiar door that belonged to Emmy, he knocked. A couple seconds went by and no one was at the door. James took this as a good sign. Maybe Emmy was out, and in that case, he wouldn't have to talk to her. He could just slip a note under the door. That way, at least he could tell Lily that he tried.

He turned around, ready to leave, but was disappointed to see Emmy coming up the stairs, keys in her hands. "Shit," he muttered to himself. He was going to have to do this, he was going to have to break the news to Emmy, in person.

"James," she said, startled to see him standing at her door.

"Emmy," he replied in recognition.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. When she saw him though, all her anger from the other day escaped her. She couldn't stay mad at him, he was her Jamie. So even though he cheated on her, caused her so much distress in the past couple days, she loved him.

"Um, we need to talk," he told her.

"Of course," she brightly responded, "Come on in."

He followed her into the apartment. But when he looked around his surroundings, he was quite surprised. He saw that the vase that usually sat on the coffee table wasn't intact. Instead it was smashed on the ground. Water was stained where the broken vase was, and the flowers were dried up and dead.

The picture frame that he gave her for Christmas last year was smashed as well. The glass was broken into lots of little pieces; the contents of the picture were not pretty either. In it there used to be a picture of the two of them together, sitting on a hammock at Emmy's parents' house. Now though, they were both running away and screaming because of the shattered glass.

Emmy followed his gaze and then said, "Sorry, it's a little messy in here."

"Um, no, it's fine," he told her, darting his eyes back onto her.

Emmy sighed as she looked at the man she loved. He was so cute, as always. His hair was a messy as always, his eyes were incredible. He was wearing his typical outfit, jeans and a t-shirt. She smiled, she loved him so much.

After a moment of silence, Emmy finally said, "I think I know why you're here."

"You do?"

"Yes," she told him. Her face didn't show anger though; it showed a look of understanding and caring.

"So, um, I guess I better go then," James began.

Emmy screwed up her face and then said, "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to leave now," he said once more.

"Why would you leave? I mean, you came back to apologize, and I accept your apology and everything's okay now. We're okay now," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've accepted your apology, and I'm willing to take you back. And you should be grateful, James Potter, because not every girl would be willing to take you back, after what you did," she informed him, "But as long as you promise never to cheat on me again, then we'll be okay."

James stared at her, did he hear her correctly? "Excuse me?"

"Just don't cheat on me again, Jamie, and we'll be in a good, strong relationship," she told him.

Okay, so he did hear her correctly. She was the one that didn't understand him. She didn't realize that he came to break up with her; she was the one jumping to inaccurate conclusions.

"Emmy," he slowly said.

"Yes," she said, a smile on her face.

"I don't think we're thinking on the same level," he told her.

"What do you mean?"

"Um, this is kind of hard for me to say, but I didn't come to ask for your forgiveness," he carefully responded.

"What?" she asked, a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, you see, Emmy, you're an amazing person, you really are. And well, the times we've had together, they were great, really great. But the thing is, well somewhere along the lines, I think things changed between us," he started, "And it wasn't you, it was me. Well, I think what I wanted in a girlfriend changed, and well, I think we may have fallen out of love with each other."

"No," she simply said.

"Um, yes, Emmy," told her, and then added, "I'm sorry."

"Jamie, we love each other, you're just talking nonsense," Emmy informed him.

"No, I do know what I'm saying," he firmly replied.

"Jamie, we love each other. I can tell by the look in your eyes, and the way you kiss me. Only love could make it feel that magical," she said, a look of hope appearing in her baby blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, Emmy," he told her.

"But, but, Jamie," she whined.

"Emmy, listen, I'm really sorry, but it's true," he said.

"Is, is it because of Lily Evans?" she asked, remembering the scene that vividly embedded itself in her brain.

James stared deep into her eyes, wondering how she knew it was Lily. He shook off the curiosity though and answered her question, "Emmy, honestly, yes it does. I dated her at Hogwarts, she was the first girl I ever loved, and I'm not sure if I ever actually stopped loving her. Of course, I didn't realize that until I saw her, but I think it's true."

Emmy felt tears build up in her eyes, and although she tried to hide them, they erupted like a volcano.

He walked over toward her and gave her one last hug, whispering in her ear, "I'm sorry, Emmy."

"Me too," she whispered back, savoring that one embrace.

He released her though, too soon in Emmy's opinion. And she watched as he left her, left her standing alone in her apartment, without a boyfriend.

Her ears stung with his words. He loved Lily Evans, and was reminded when he saw her. She couldn't shake that away. It just wasn't fair. She loved him; she loved him more than life itself.

She knew she needed to do something. She needed to get James Potter back in her arms; she needed him to stop loving Lily Evans. The only questions now were when and how.

---

"How'd it go?" Lily asked.

"Surprisingly okay," James answered.

They were at James's apartment, sitting on the couch and sharing a bag of popcorn. It was things like this that Lily adored, just talking to him while doing casual things. It wasn't that she didn't crave the sexual part of their relationship, which was very important, but knowing that they could enjoy themselves just by talking made her feel giddy inside.

"Really? She wasn't mad or anything?" Lily asked, very surprised to hear James's update of his break-up with Emmy.

"She was pretty upset, ended up crying before I left," he answered.

"Poor thing," she sympathetically responded.

"What?" he said as he snapped his head to look her right in the eye. "You're the one who told me that I had to do it."

"Well, yeah, but still, I feel bad for her," Lily honestly replied.

"I could have written a letter," he informed her.

"And that would have been ten times worse," she told him, "Trust me."

"Why? Did someone do that to you?" he asked, grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Who?" he asked, sitting up straight, as if he were suddenly very interested in the topic of discussion.

"Danny Babcock," she replied.

"Danny Babcock," James repeated, a smile appearing on his face. "You got dumped by Danny Babcock?"

"Yes," she answered.

James burst out laughing at what he heard.

"What's so funny?" she asked, playfully hitting him on the arm.

"Danny Babcock!" he exclaimed, "As in the Danny Babcock from Hufflepuff?"

"Yes," she said once more.

"I can't believe you even dated him," James remarked.

"Why's that?"

"Are you shitting me? He's so gross," James began, "I mean, I've heard stories that he changes his underwear like twice a week. And he failed Defense Against the Dark Arts when Adams taught it, and he was an idiot. Even Peter got a top grade when Adams taught at Hogwarts."

"So he was a little slow at class," Lily defended.

"A little? A little is an understatement. Besides, I heard that he still lives at home with his parents."

"What's wrong with that, he's only twenty," she said.

"He sleeps with a teddy bear still," James retorted. "And hasn't gotten a job since Hogwarts."

"Okay, okay, so he wasn't the best boyfriend to have," Lily said, finally giving in to James. Of course, it wasn't hard to give into what he was saying. Danny Babcock certainly was no Prince Charming. He had average brown eyes, and very unstylish brown eyes. His figure needed some help, which was putting it nicely, and as James mentioned, he was as dumb as a doorknob.

James laughed once more, "I still can't believe you dated him."

Blushing, Lily picked up a handful of popcorn and threw it at James. She laughed as it hit him square in the face, one piece even landing in his open mouth.

Once James realized what had happened, he grabbed a piece of popcorn himself and sent it flying at Lily, she dodged it slightly, but it still ended up in her long red hair. She screamed lightly, more out of shock than anything else.

"You!" she said, pointing her finger at him.

"Me," he mocked.

She laughed, throwing James off guard completely. Then she grabbed the entire bowl and plopped it down on his head, leaving a half full bag of popcorn tumbling down his face and the bowl on his head, like a hat.

She laughed once more, gasping for breath and holding her sides tightly. She hadn't laughed this hard in quite some time. It wasn't over though, once James heard her laughter he grabbed a fistful of popcorn and sent it flying at her.

He then took the bowl off his head and tossed it on the ground. He felt Lily's hands scampering around the couch, looking for handfuls of popcorn to throw at him. He did the same.

She was faster though, and tossed a huge handful at him once more. Instead of dealing with the broken pieces of food, he went straight for his target. He picked her up off the couch, holding her by the waist. Her arms and legs were flailing about, avoiding James just because she faced away from him. Her hair was a tangled mess of popcorn and wildness. In fact, she looked like a madman.

"James, put me down," she cried out.

He didn't though; he continued to grasp her tightly, laughing his head off. It was times like these that he enjoyed, times that ended up with the two of them laughing hysterically and acting like kids.

His hands finally loosened from all the energy that he was putting into laughing. Lily took this as a chance to escape, and she did. She squirmed away from him and ran back to safety on the couch. James followed her, and in a matter of seconds they were both sprawled across the couch, laughing and having a good time.

After several minutes went by, they were both calmed down and their laughter had subsided. Their eyes locked and Lily's heart began to speed up again, this time out of the excitement of just being so close to him.

She tried to fight away her urges, but couldn't resist the adorable look in his eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. His lips were warm, steamy almost. They were soft too, just the way she remembered.

His arms instantly wrapped around her petite body, holding her close to him. The kiss was intense, as if their lives depended on this kiss. And he loved every moment of it. He loved the taste of her lips, vanilla. He loved the touch if her hand draped across the back of his head, making sure that his lips wouldn't ever part from hers.

Somehow, Lily had rolled on top of him and her hands were inching up his shirt. He could feel the rush of excitement all throughout his body as his brain registered what was going to happen.

But then it stopped and he heard laughter coming from Lily. He opened his eyes and stared at her. In her hands was a piece of popcorn, leftover from their food fight.

"What're you doing with popcorn in your shirt?" she teased, laughing even harder now.

James couldn't help but smile. He adored her laugh, her smile, everything about her. He loved how the incident with the popcorn was still humorous to her, even though most people would have been long off of that subject by now.

He sat up, propping himself up with his arms. As he did, he could feel his shirt slide back down across his chest, and Lily sat back, swinging her legs off of him. He then moved so that his legs were hanging off the couch, his feet reaching the ground. He took the popcorn from her and threw it at her face, catching her by surprise.

She only laughed, flashing him her smile once more.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** I hope you all enjoyed chapter 27! I actually didn't expect it to take this long for me to update, but I was having trouble with this chapter for some reason or another. But the next chapters should come very quickly considering I'm taking them almost directly from the old version of Love Affair. I've just got to make sure that they make sense for this version now! Anyways, please review and tell me what you think!


	28. Harry Pryce

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to Black's Gurl, padfootandprongs4ever, Adnama, Marshmallow, lizziee, pale pink roses, sassafras, lOvEiNhEaVeN, kelliethehottie, dee, Serena, hpjsr, Desolation Lily, LeslieGlady, KLLRS, PammaPotter, sblomie, kelala, damned for eternity, Blad3, PhOeNiX fLiEs MaGiC, stressed and depressed, Black and Potter, Kristanna, and Princess-Unicorn-Kyla for reviewing the old version of Love Affair!

Thanks to Juicilyn, wefeedowls, julies07, sugur-huny-bun, lazyhazy, sunlitmist, kkroonie, Percephone, me, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, BlueJeanMistress, wh00t, x0x-Mystique-x0x, Corso, thesweetestlittlejazzkiller, babi-gurl8907, Faith Forever in Harry, Miss Myrtle360, xxxMs.Mexxx, iris2489, wizemunkee006, and bratski for reviewing! You all are simply the best reviewers in the entire world! Over 1000! It's incredible! I love you all!

_sunlitmist:_ I completely agree with you, it is nice to see that everything doesn't end in sex. And as for your question, I'm actually not sure if Jason will be in this fic again, he is mentioned, I can promise that. He might make a couple of appearances in the sequel, although he won't be considered a major character in that.

* * *

"I quit my job at the ministry," James told Lily. The two of them were going out to dinner that night. It was their first dinner together as an official couple once again, and both of them had been very excited about it. It had been about a week since they became an official couple, but this was the first time that the public had a really good look at them together.

"James, why'd you do that?" Lily asked.

"Well, it was kind of awkward having Jason as my partner," James began.

"How bad is it?" she asked.

"Awful. Actually, that's probably an understatement," he answered, "The other day, when I got there, I saw him looking at a picture of you and crying."

"Oh my God, are you serious?" Lily asked, a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, I was so embarrassed and felt so guilty that I went and got coffee, and didn't come back for another twenty minutes. And when I did come back, his eyes were all puffy and stuff," James recalled.

"That won't last forever though," she said.

"Lils, every time I see him, I feel guilty, and it's as if he knows," he replied.

"He doesn't know," Lily told him.

"I know that, but the way he looks at me, I swear he's thinking, 'Damn you Potter, you stole my girlfriend, you piece of shit,'" James told her.

"You do a pretty good imitation," Lily brightly told her boyfriend.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied before taking a small bite from her dinner.

"I still quit though," he said after a couple moments of comfortable silence.

"You could ask for a new partner," Lily reminded him.

"I know, but Jason being there wasn't the only reason. You see, Professor Dumbledore got in contact with me the other day. And he asked if I would join some group that they have, it's about the war with You-Know-Who. It's called the Order of the Phoenix. And, I guess, we'll be trying to stop him," James confided in her. The latter part of the speech, he said in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"Oh," was all Lily had managed to say. Although she was silently saying, "Jeez, as if I didn't have enough to worry about with him being an auror. Now in this thing, he'll be in even more danger."

"Yes, so I've got to find some other job now. I think I'll pick one that isn't too difficult, that way I can devote my time to the Order, and to you," James told her.

Lily smiled at his last words; she loved it when he flattered her. Even though that wasn't a flattering comment, it still made her feel special, feel like she was the only one who mattered to him.

Once the couple finished their meals, James nodded his head toward the dance floor, and asked, "You want to dance?"

"I'd love to," Lily replied, remembering the intenseness of their last dancing outing. This one would surely be different though, as it was a fancy restaurant, and the music wasn't for salsa dancing.

As the song began to play, and the singer's voice flooded the room, Lily felt James's arms wrap around her hips, pulling her closer to his body. She placed her arms delicately around his shoulders, and couldn't help but smile at how perfect she felt that night, how amazing it was just to be with him.

James looked down at Lily; she looked so at ease with herself. He loved it when she looked like that, always so gorgeous without even trying. He looked into the pools of emeralds that made her face shine, she truly looked happy. He could see the love in her eyes, see it in her face, and feel it in her body.

Love though? Be wondered if he saw correctly, but quickly erased that thought from his mind. No, Lily Evans didn't love him, not yet anyways. Of course, he did love her, although he wouldn't ever admit it quite yet. It was too soon, way too soon.

Lily gently laid her head against his chest, taking in the smell of his cologne, which she found just perfect. He never wore too much, and always smelled different than any other guy she had ever met. She didn't even know how to describe the scent, but whenever it was present, she instantly smiled, knowing that it could only be James, the man of her dreams.

James felt her head rest upon his chest, and looked down at her deep red hair. She wore it down that night, and added light curls to it. He had the urge all night to run his fingers through her glossy hair, but knew it would look quite odd in the restaurant, so he restrained himself. James bent his head down a little, almost leaning down to reach her level. He wanted to be closer to her, hold her tighter, and love her more than anyone else in the world.

James saw Lily's head come off his chest, and he looked into her smiling eyes, they seemed to be dancing that night. Dancing just as the couple was, as if a reflection from them could be seen in her eyes.

"You're beautiful, Lily," he whispered right before landing a light kiss on her cheek. Although he had kissed her cheek millions of time before, he was still amazed at how soft it felt under his lips.

---

"Dinner was fabulous," Lily told James as the two of them left the restaurant. It was dark outside, and the only light available was that of the streetlamps, moon, and stars.

"I'm glad you liked it," he responded, grasping her hand with his as the two walked along the pathway. "So, do you want to go back to my place?"

She looked over at him and then said, "I'd love to, but first, do you want to hang out here?"

"Here?" he asked, looking around and seeing nothing exciting around with the exception of the restaurant.

"Yeah, I know a place just around the corner," she answered, flashing him a smile.

"Lead the way," he replied, knowing only too well that when she smiled like that, there was no way he would be able to deny her anything she wanted.

They walked in silence toward the place around the corner. It wasn't a bad silence, not at all. It was the type of silence that was needed in a relationship, the type of silence that made the world function.

James was surprised to see their final destination. It wasn't at all what he expected it to be. It was a playground, equipped with a swing set, monkey bars, a slide, and plenty of benches to sit on.

"I take you to a fancy restaurant and you take me to a playground?" he teased.

"This isn't just any playground," she told him.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," she answered, "It's the playground that I used to come to when I was a child."

"You used to live around here?" James asked, shocked at the information he was discovery that night.

"Until I was seven," she answered as they walked toward the swing set. She sat down on one of the swings, and James followed her lead and sat down next to her.

"Did you come here a lot?" he asked as he watched her drag her feet across the dirt surface.

"All the time," she replied, closing her eyes to remind herself of the past, "My sister and I used to come down here with our mum and dad every Sunday after church. It was like a tradition; we'd go to church, go home and change very quickly, and then bring a picnic lunch to the park and play."

"I bet that was fun," he said, and he truly meant it. "When I was a kid, that would have never happened…My mother, well, she was so uptight, hated anything to do with the outdoors. And my father was just the same, with the exception of Quidditch. That's the only time he wanted me outside, was to play Quidditch and get fantastic at it."

"No playground time?" Lily asked.

"Nope," he answered.

"That sucks," she said, not caring that it was rather blunt and somewhat rude.

"Tell me about it," he joked, and then said, "Plus, I didn't have a brother or sister, so it was just me, or at least until Sirius came and lived with us for a couple years."

"He lived with you?"

"Yeah, from the summer before fifth year until we graduated and each found our own places," James answered. "Those were the best times at my house, when Sirius and I would hang out and cause all sorts of trouble. It drove my mum mad, but we did it anyways."

Lily laughed, imagining the scene perfectly. She wasn't exactly a fan of Sirius Black, but still found it humorous anyways.

Once her laughter stopped, James asked, "So, does that mean you came to that restaurant at all?"

"Oh, God no," she answered very quickly. "Petunia and I, in there at ages seven and ten, no chance. No, we would've caused so much trouble. My parents went there for their anniversary once, and loved it though."

"Did you love it?" he asked.

"James, are you kidding? It was gorgeous in there, and the food was insane," she answered.

"Do you like casual places better though?" he asked, not sure which answer he would prefer to hear.

"Honestly?" she asked.

"Honestly," he repeated, only he made it a statement rather than a question.

"Casual is more my style, and I'm more comfortable at them. When I was a kid, we went to fancy restaurants only for special occasions, like birthdays and Christmas Eve," she answered.

James smiled at her answer and knew at once that it was what he wanted to hear. "Honestly, I'm glad."

"Really? After you spent all that money?"

"Yes," he replied, "You see, what's so amazing about you is that you are everything I was trying to escape as a kid, your life as a kid is everything that I wanted. The only restaurants that I was allowed to go to were these kinds; I wasn't allowed to go anywhere else, not even ice cream parlors. But I desperately wanted to go somewhere else; I wanted to escape from my parent's rich image. I wanted to go to a place where everyone else went; I wanted to go to a normal, casual place."

"Wow," Lily said, not sure what else to say.

"Sorry," he told her, blushing slightly at his little announcement.

"Don't be sorry," she replied, and then added, "If I were in your shoes, I know I'd feel the same way."

He smiled at her, being reminded once more of why he needed to be with her, why he wanted to be with her. He then pulled the chain of her swing toward him, bring her closer to him. He leaned across the gap of air and pressed his lips to hers. It wasn't a long kiss, just a peck, but a peck that would certainly leave an impact.

---

A few days later James was attending his first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. He was amazed at how many people were present; Dumbledore, Mad Eye Moody, the Longbottoms, and even his dear friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were all there.

"James, you're in the Order?" Sirius asked him.

"Yeah, Dumbledore just asked me the other day," he replied.

"Hmm, that's when he asked me, and from what Remus told me, that's when he asked him and Peter as well," Sirius told his best friend.

"I guess they're in need of a few good men," James told him with a smile.

However, their conversation was cut short when the meeting officially began. "As you all know, You-Know-Who is getting stronger every day. He is gaining more Death Eaters than we had ever imagined," Dumbledore told the group.

"Yes, and now all we need to do is find a way to know exactly who and when he's going to attack," Frank Longbottom announced.

"And it's getting even more tragic as the days go on," a small witch whom James didn't recognize spoke up.

"Yeah, he's even killing pure-bloods now. Everyone who gets in his way, he wants to kill them," a very tall man with blonde hair declared, there were a few moments of silence after the man's comment, but it was odd that no one had really paid much thought to what he had said.

However, the man's statement stung at James. _Even killing pure-bloods now._ He couldn't get Sam out of his mind, she had been murdered, and that had been months ago. So, why was he saying _now_?

"Now, there are wizards willing to risk their lives and become spies, which I am very grateful for," Dumbledore began, "but You-Know-Who is still finding a way to beat us. He's still managing to commit murder without us knowing where and when he's going to attack. And we need that to stop."

The meeting continued like that for another hour, different witches and wizard telling new information to the group. James found it very exciting too, he learned who some of the recently enrolled Death Eaters were, including Sirius's brother. When James looked over at his best friend, he noticed that Sirius didn't look shocked or even upset at the news. It was as if he was expecting it to happen one day or another.

And although this was exciting, and James did pay full attention to the words that left everyone's lips, his mind was still concentrating on the blonde haired man. The comment wouldn't leave him, he wasn't sure why, but it was embedded in his brain.

He wondered if anyone else was bothered by the comment, but didn't dare ask now. Instead, he came up with a solution. He was going to personally talk to the man, and tell him his thoughts, and of course, ask him what he meant about _now_.

James looked down at his watch, anxious for when the meeting would be over with. He wanted desperately to talk to this blonde haired man. To his relief, a few minutes later, Dumbledore did announce that it was over with.

He watched as people left the room, but always had one eye on the tall, blonde man. James noticed that some people went up to Dumbledore and talked to him, either thanking him for inviting them to join in the war against You-Know-Who or just to continue on talking about their thoughts and beliefs.

Then James noticed that blonde man was standing by himself, and it didn't appear that he was making any movement to either leave or talk to any other member of the Order.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm James Potter," James told the man.

"Hello, I'm Harry Pryce," the blonde haired man responded, it almost looked as if he were delighted that James came to speak to him.

"Can I ask you something?" James asked.

"Well, of course," Harry replied.

"Well, you see, it's about something you said earlier. You said that You-Know-Who is even killing pure-bloods now-"

However, he was cut off by the man when he said, "Now, don't be afraid, I'm sure you'll be just fine."

"No, it's not that," James hastily said. He didn't want anyone to think that he was a scared kid, because that wasn't him at all. Ever since Hogwarts he loved getting into trouble, risking everything. He wasn't afraid of anything, well, maybe some things, but being murdered by Lord Voldermort wasn't one of them.

"Oh, then what?" Harry asked, curiosity shown in his brow.

"I used to be an auror, and my partner, her name was Sam. And, well, she was murdered, along with her sister, and they were both pure-bloods, and that happened months ago," James informed Harry Pryce.

"Yes, I do remember that happening," he answered, and then added, "I'm so sorry about that."

"Thank you, but they were pure-bloods," James reminded him.

"Interesting," Harry agreed, sending him a look of knowing, one that resembled Dumbledore's face expressions.

"I'm sorry for bothering you by this," James told the man, "But, it's just what you said, it really stuck with me. I couldn't get this odd feeling out of my mind ever since hearing it."

"Don't worry about it at all, it certainly didn't bother me," Harry responded, a smile present on his pale face.

"Well, bye then," James said before turning around and slowly walking away.

He stopped short of his tracks when he heard Harry Pryce speak once more. "Did you ever stop to think that it wasn't a Death Eater attack?"

"What do you mean?" James asked, sharply turning around to face him.

"I think you know _exactly_ what I mean," Harry told him, his voice wasn't harsh, but full of wisdom. Once again, reminding James of Dumbledore's silky voice.

"But, the ministry said it was a Death Eater attack," James reasoned.

"Did they? I thought that they said it _may have been_ a Death Eater attack," Harry responded, his eyes looking deep into James's.

He didn't respond to Harry, he just looked straight back into Harry's icy blue eyes. And then he slowly said, "There wasn't a Death Eater sign above the house."

Harry's eyes seemed to twinkle, glad that James was catching on to what he was saying.

"So, it was an ordinary wizard," he dumbly stated.

"I believe so… Do you know anyone who had any sort of grudge toward Sam?" Harry asked. His voice wasn't full of questioning though, instead it was as if once again, he wanted James to realize something.

James thought about this for some time, and the man just continued to look into his eyes, as if trying to absorb his thoughts. "Who had a grudge against Sam?" James asked himself over and over again. "How would I know?" he silently questioned.

"Think about this, James. Truly think about it," Harry whispered, his voice sounded mystifying.

James continued racking his brain, wondering who would murder her. Who would ever want to murder her? She was sweet, kind, and caring. She was a fantastic witch, she was an outstanding girl.

"Think back to the week surrounding her death, did anything happen? Anything out of the usual? Was anyone acting odd, or perhaps jealous?" Harry Pryce asked. The look in his eye appeared to be glowing. It was as if he were trying to force James to remember everything, just by looking at him.

James raked his brain, why couldn't he remember this? Why couldn't he remember anyone acting strange? Why couldn't he remember anyone being jealous? Then it hit him, and he remembered the main events of that week perfectly. His eyes went wide with realization, and Harry's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it," James stammered.

Harry leaned forward, his voice was barely above a whisper, "If I were you, I'd be off with the woman I love right now."

"Lily!" James cried out.

* * *

**Author's Note 2:** Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Most of it was actually taken from the original version of this story, but I fixed it up to match my writing style, so I hope its okay! Please tell me what you think; I'd love to hear your feedback in a review!


	29. Afraid of Losing Him, Not Life

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note**: Thanks to LeslieGlady, pale pink roses, lOvEiNhEaVeN, Onawhim, PammaPotter, sassafras, Black's Gurl, Obbsesive, Marshmallow, Princess-Unicorn-Kyla, ilovecaptainjacks, lizziee, damned for eternity, dee, Desolation Lily, Serena, Kristanna, oceanjewel, KLLRS, and miss-mags-ak for reviewing the old version of Love Affair!

Thanks to i-LuV-cHaRmEd18, mugglemagician, dracomalfoysdragon, charspleenie, drumer girl, marrokinhas, Daisfunk, Faith Forever in Harry, Fairy-GYAKUTENNO-MEGAMI, blaiselover, Harry and Ginny 4eva, iris2489, me, Flame Of Desire, julies07, kkroonie, Miss Myrtle360, babi-gurl8907, wh00t, hprules, sugur-huny-bun, bratski, Juicilyn, x0x-Mystique-x0x, Idancer, BlueJeanMistress, sunlitmist, patsfan1254, onedaythen, theoneandonly, Chelles, always-blond, snazzysnez, On3-ShoT, cUTeLuChIa-PiNkpEaRl-mErMaId, Fiery Flower, pecanpie, Sue, and piratequeen24 for reviewing! I've officially decided that you guys are the best people in the entire world (actually, I decided that a long time ago, but whatever!) You all are truly amazing, and thank you times 100 for reviewing!

_Daisfunk:_ First of all, I'm glad that you've liked what you've read so far! And second of all, Dumbledore didn't know about the information that Harry Pryce was talking about, or the conclusion that James made from it. And as for why Harry didn't say something about it sooner, well, I'm afraid I can't answer that question yet. But it will definitely be in either the next chapter or the one after that! Thanks again for reviewing!

_Miss Myrtle360, sunlitmist, & patsfan1254:_ You all mentioned a very accurate point that Lily was in the Order too, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm know that! I decided to have James be in it first, and then Lily joins a little bit after he does. Props to you all for recognizing that though, I guess I should have mentioned that in an author's note! And once again, thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Lily glanced around her apartment, nothing was out of the ordinary, as she expected. It felt odd though, why, she didn't know. But it did. She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about the place she had lived for the past couple years.

Maybe it was just the first time in a very long time that she was home alone. Carina was off at work, running crazy errands that her new boss sent her out on. And James was at that meeting he told her about, The Order of the Phoenix.

She let out a sigh, shaking that weird feeling off. She then made a cup of tea and grabbed a book. It had been such a long time since she curled up with a good book in front of the fireplace, so she decided now would be as good a time as any to start up that hobby of hers.

Before opening her book though, Lily took another glance around the room. She saw nothing once more, but still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, something was very wrong.

Maybe she was just paranoid, yes, that's what it was, she was just paranoid. It was dark outside and she was all alone. There was nothing to be afraid of. Absolutely nothing.

Until of course she heard a noise, footsteps perhaps. Her heart was speeding up, and she clutched the book tightly. Maybe it was just Carina. Maybe Carina was playing some sort of joke on her. Yes, that must be it.

"Carina, joke's up, I know you're there," Lily called from her spot on the couch.

She listened for Carina's reply, but it never came. Lily's heart sped up another notch.

"Carina, I'm not kidding, come out here, you're not funny," she said, trying to sound confident.

Once again she heard no response from her best friend. Lily sighed, and then figured that she was just being silly. There was no one in the apartment, she was alone. She had just imagined the footsteps. They weren't actually there.

But then she heard them once more. Her eyes went wide. She definitely wasn't imagining footsteps. This was real.

"Who, who's there?" she called out, still grasping her book tightly.

"Hello," came a voice from behind her.

Lily snapped her head around and looked the intruder straight in the eye. The intruder's blue eyes didn't move at all, only stared right at Lily. They weren't soft and understanding like they were in the pictures that Lily had seen. Instead, they were fierce, dangerous, and most of all, disturbed.

"Emmy," Lily slowly said.

"Lily Evans," Emmy replied, her voice was nothing short of confident.

"Can, can I help you?" she asked, hoping that her voice sounded as certain as the woman standing in front of her did.

"Can you help me?" Emmy repeated, laughing off the feeble attempt at conversation.

Lily took a deep breath in, and then let it flow out of her mouth. She could do this; she could have a conversation with James's ex-girlfriend without it going too bad. "You, you scared me for a second there." Although scared wasn't the only appropriate word for how Lily felt. True, she was scared, but she was also nervous and intrigued.

Why was Emmy in her apartment? Why didn't she knock at the door? Why was she acting so odd?

"Did I?" she asked, sounding amused.

"Um, yes," Lily replied, not knowing what else to say.

The look in Emmy's eye was frightening. The way she walked showed both confidence and danger. The way she spoke sent chills down Lily's spine. Her personality turned an entire 360 degrees from the one time that Lily had previously met her. She wasn't happy or cheery, she wasn't talkative. Instead, she was fearsome.

Lily didn't like the situation at all. She needed to get away from the brown haired woman that stood in front of her. She needed desperately to get away. From the corner of her eye she glanced around for her wand, anything to protect her. She didn't see it though. Where could it be? Then she remembered, it was in the kitchen. She left it in there when she made her cup of tea.

"Would, would you like some tea?" Lily asked, backing toward the kitchen, not daring to take her eyes off of Emmy Sellick. She would use any excuse to get her wand.

"No," Emmy answered, she didn't sound amused any more, but impatient instead.

Lily stopped dead in her tracks; she needed to get into the kitchen. She needed her wand, now more than ever. "Well, I think I'll have one." She ignored the cup sitting on the coffee table and backed all the way into the kitchen.

Unfortunately, Emmy followed her. She kept her eyes locked on every one of Lily's movements. She was determined not to let Lily slip out of her view for one second.

Lily scanned the countertops, but still didn't see her wand. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster as each second went by. She could sense beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She could feel her stomach squirm with anxiety.

"Looking for something?" Emmy asked.

Lily turned around to see a smug look on Emmy's face. She was swinging Lily's wand in her hand, dangling it like a toy for a dog.

"Give me my wand," she demanded, trying her hardest to sound strong.

"I don't think so," Emmy answered, the amused look was once again present on her narrow face.

"Please, give me wand," Lily said once more, although this time she knew that she didn't sound strong.

"Not until you've learned your lesson," Emmy informed her.

"Lesson?" Lily asked. She now sounded nervous, and Emmy could sense it.

"It's rude to steal men from others, and even worse to cheat," she told her. Her eyes were now torn apart from Lily, and she let them slide from side to side as she watched the wand dangle in front of her.

Lily didn't know how to respond to that. So she kept her mouth shut.

Emmy then whipped the wand in front of her, aiming it at Lily's heart, "Flarano!"

With that said, Lily was toppled from her spot and thrown against the wall. Her petite body then fell to the hard, cold floor. She felt her head begin to ache; the impact was too much for her. Her back was sore, and Lily was positive that one of her arms was sprained.

Emmy walked toward Lily, her wand pointing at her the whole time, as if to say, '"Just try me.'"

Lily let out a small groan, but knew that she needed to do something. She needed to get up from the floor and take the pain. But as she attempted to stand up, Emmy yelled the curse once more and Lily was thrown back against the wall once more.

She had to fight back the urge to cry, she wouldn't let Emmy see tears, that's exactly what she wanted. She wasn't about to fall apart, she wasn't about to back down. She had enough common sense though, so know that if she stood up once more, Emmy wouldn't fail to send another curse in her direction.

Instead, she gathered up all her strength and asked, "Why are you doing this to me?"

Emmy screwed up her face slightly before softening her dark look. "Why? Because James deserves better than you. He doesn't need someone who cheats, someone who lies. He doesn't need anyone, but me. And I'm not about to let you destroy him."

"Destroy? What are you talking about?" Lily asked. She was truly confused.

"You could never give him what he needs," Emmy answered, ignoring Lily's pleading eyes.

Lily could clearly see her chest rising and lowering at each breath she took. Her heart was still beating fast, and she had all the signs of fear in her eyes. But even through the fear, she was still curious. Curious as to what exactly Emmy was talking about, curious to know what was going to happen to her.

"Emmy, please, just put down the wand," she said.

"And why would I do that?" Emmy mockingly asked, and then said, "I'm not going to let you take James Potter away from me. I'm not going to let you get in the way of our happiness."

"Emmy," Lily said once more, she was practically begging.

Emmy pointed the wand directly at her victim once more. Her eyes were narrowed and concentrated. "Don't think that you can win, nobody has."

That comment sparked a thought in Lily's mind. She remembered hiding in James's closet as Emmy came in and told James that his partner, Sam, was murdered. She could clearly see the conversation on her mind. There was no Death Eater sign above the house. The ministry guessed that there was no time for one. They never suspected that it could have been anyone. Anyone could have killed Sam and her sister. It wasn't necessarily a Death Eater, and Lily knew for a fact that it wasn't a Death Eater attack.

"You, you killed her," Lily stated, her heart beating faster than it had been before.

"Of course I did," Emmy replied.

"Why?"

"He told me his partner's name was Sam; I didn't realize that Sam was short for Samantha," Emmy began, "He spent a lot of time at work, a lot of time with his partner. Too much time. He probably saw her more than he did me, and I was his girlfriend. I couldn't let that happen, there was no way she was going to separate the time that James and I should have been sharing together. I wasn't going to let her take him away from me."

"And, and her sister?" Lily asked, her heart was now racing as fast as a racecar.

"I wasn't about to have any witnesses, I'm not an idiot," She answered.

Lily glanced nervously around the room. There was no way out of this. She was going to die; Emmy Sellick was going to murder her. And for what, a guy? She mentally slapped herself, he wasn't just any guy. This was James she was talking about, the man that she loved.

She had to get out of this situation. She wasn't about to give up without a fight. She wasn't going to let Emmy win this. She wasn't going to let James be in the presence of the woman standing in front of her. She wasn't going to let the man of her dreams live without her. Lily was going to find a way of this, or die trying.

"Emmy, please don't do this," she whispered, praying that this small act would somehow work.

"Oh, and why not?" Emmy asked, amusement flooded her eyes once more, "No one is ever going to know what happens tonight, and James will be mine once again."

"They'll trace the wand," Lily said, trying to distract the murderer in front of her.

"It's your wand," she replied, knowing that she thought this plan through thoroughly. No one would ever expect her to be the murderer.

"Shit," Lily silently said. She needed something, anything to distract her. Then she thought of it, the one subject that Emmy was touchy about, "James will never love you."

Emmy's face hardened, her eyes narrowed until they were barely slits. "He will love me."

"Even if you do kill me, do you honestly think that he'll come running to you?" Lily asked. She sounded confident in her answer, an answer that matched reality perfectly.

"Why wouldn't he love me?" Emmy asked, she was both curious and angry. But as everyone knows, curiosity killed the cat, and she couldn't stand not knowing.

"You can't change the way he feels, the heart works on its own. You can't make him love you; you can't get rid of me just to make him love you. If you do, you'll only make him miserable," Lily said, once more sounding braver than she actually felt.

"He's happy with me," Emmy angrily said, sourness filling the air.

"Is he?" Lily asked, prodding questions at Emmy, the only way she knew how to stop those two words that equaled immediate death.

"Of course," Emmy snapped.

"If he was so happy with you, then why'd he leave you?" Lily questioned. She knew that she was pushing the limit, but she didn't care. This may just be the only way to avoid death. If she could just convince Emmy that James's happiness was worth more to her than being with him, then Lily would get away.

However, Lily's plan backfired. Emmy's nostrils flared out in anger, fire was burning in her eyes. "Flarano!" Emmy hollered.

A second later, Lily was once again slammed into the wall and shattered down to the floor. She felt her head pound against the cold surface. She propped her head up long enough to see a small pond of blood on the floor, staining to white tiles red.

She looked up at Emmy, staring her right on the eye. Although she was in pain, more physical pain than she ever experienced before, she wasn't giving up. She wasn't backing down quite yet, she wasn't going to let Emmy win yet. No, she wasn't giving up without a fight.

"He never loved you," Lily bravely said, wiping away the mixture of blood and sweat that trickled into the corner of her mouth.

This only enraged Emmy even more. "Flarano!" Emmy screamed once more. She wanted Lily to suffer. She wanted the woman who tried to steal James away from her to suffer from every word she spoke. She wanted Lily Evans to beg her to speak the words that would kill her instantly. She wanted to hear Lily Evans begging for mercy.

Lily felt her entire body being rocketed from one end of the room to the other. She felt a smack on her back and heard the sound of glass breaking, several pieces being shattered into her flesh. She then collapsed into a heap on the floor, the remaining mirror pieces falling on top of her, puncturing into her pale skin.

Her entire body ached, her head, her back, her arms and legs. Everything. She felt as of every bone in her body had been broken, shattered beneath her delicate skin. She sensed that blood was flowing out of her body and staining the floor below her. She could feel every ounce of her energy release as she hit the floor, every struggling part of her gave up.

The only thing left for her to do was cry, and she did. Her salty tears ran down her face, dripping down to the floor, mixing with the beads of blood that fell from her face and neck. She didn't have the energy to look up at Emmy as she spoke, nor did she care to listen.

She knew what fate had in hand for her. She knew the outcome of her life as she lay on the floor. But even as she laid there in a tangled heap, her tears weren't from the physical pain she endured. They weren't from the thought of dieing either. She was crying because of James. She loved him, and desperately wished that she had told him so.

She watched as her life passed through her mind; getting her Hogwarts letter, meeting Carina on the train, becoming Head Girl, dating James, receiving the news that her parents were dead, and most of all, being with James again. She could clearly picture every moment with him, from their first night together, to watching him fall asleep next to her last night. She loved him; she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone before.

She wasn't afraid of death, she never had been. She always believed that after life, she would go on to a better place. A place with no crime, drugs, murder, rape, poverty, or anything else that harmed the world. But as she laid there in a curled up pile, she knew that there was one thing that wouldn't be in that better place. James wouldn't be there, the one person she was afraid of losing wouldn't be there.

As she pictured him clearly in her mind, suddenly the world around her went dark. She couldn't see a thing. She couldn't see Emmy standing over her, a hint of glee on her eye. She couldn't see the flood of blood that leaked from her body. She couldn't see the bloodstained clothing that was wrapped around her body. It was all dark, all she could do was listen, and she knew that it would soon fade as well.

Before it did though, she heard Emmy take another step closer, her steps vibrating the floor that Lily's ear was pressed against. "Avada Ked…"

She was unable to finish her words though because of a man saying, "Petrificus Totalus!" Lily heard a crash on the ground, and she knew that Emmy had fallen to the ground, stiff as a board.

She could hear the man coming toward her, and although she couldn't see him, she knew who it was. She knew that her savoir had come.

"Oh God," he whispered, placing a hand on her body. He could feel a pulse, although it wasn't as strong as he wished it would be. He then said, "I was afraid I'd be too late."

She could tell he was crying, she could tell by his muffled voice. But she knew it was him, she knew that everything would be okay. She knew that her one true love had rescued her.

She felt his lips on the top of her head, a comforting effort on his part. A sign that it was okay, a sign that he cared for her. It was the last sign that she could remember from him before drifting off into a deep sleep.

**

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**Author's Note 2:** Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed chapter 29! I'm sorry that this took longer than usual, I went away for Labor Day weekend, and didn't come back until late Monday night. But here it is now, and please tell me what you think!


	30. The Hemming

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to Hurleygurl, CrazzyD', marrokinhas, sugur-huny-bun, Harry and Ginny 4eva, BlueJeanMistress, Faith Forever in Harry, me, i-LuV-cHaRmEd18, Miss Myrtle360, Chelles, babi-gurl8907, julies07, wefeedowls, Brilover, wizemunkee006, xxquidditchjunkiexx, drumer girl, Juicilyn, Holly-Short-Evans, piratequeen24, dracomalfoysdragon, bratski, xXfiRePhoEnixXx, tigerlily141, always-blond, Rose Angelz, riotgirl72, Solo-gurl, theoneandonly, charspleenie, smash-ash, lifeiswutumakeit, - Scp-, x0x-Mystique-x0x, Hollabulooooooooo, asiangirl668, Sue, betsy, Amanda, sunlitmist, Perla B., mccsux, xxxMs.Mexxx, secretindianlover, string bean 458, Rosey, SiriusVeela, 0pera3mm, Sammyrox, Daramalan sux, moviechicka, Amoura Avalon, riotgirl72, Cherry Chalk, AnjaliMalfoy, crazy azn angel, Lady Vampyre, Jewel Avienor, missandres, Fiery Flower, sirpantsalot, Sammyrox, alexia, and famousindafuture for reviewing! You guys are all truly incredible…and will be even more incredible if by some chance you still have faith in my stories and will continue to read it despite the three month break!

P.S. I'm so incredibly sorry for not updating sooner! I promise I tried to!

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"How're you holding up?" Carina asked. For the past two hours she and James Potter sat in silence at St. Mungos. It wasn't an awkward silence, nor was it a comfortable silence, for the reason that they were seated in the waiting room in the hospital was tragic for both of them. Instead, the silence was created because both Carina and James were off in their own alternate universes, blocking everyone and everything out from their minds.

James was startled to hear Carina's voice, but looked up at her anyways and replied, "Alright." This, of course was a lie. He wasn't alright. He was far from alright. Less than an hour ago he found his girlfriend in a bloody heap on the ground of her apartment, his ex-girlfriend attempting to murder her. No, he wasn't alright. He was scared, shocked, nervous, guilty, and angry.

He didn't know how Lily was; the doctors were still running tests and checking for broken bones. From what he heard, she was still passed out, which the doctors assumed was from loss of blood. For these reasons, he was both scared and nervous. He was nervous that she wouldn't be okay, nervous that he wouldn't ever see Lily again.

From that nervousness, grew fear. He was scared that he would see her again; scared that he would never be able to tell her how much he loved her. Scared that she'd never hear the words, "I love you," escape his lips. He was scared that he'd never be able to breath in her lovely scent or hold her tightly to his chest. He was scared that he would never be able to look deeply into her emerald eyes, eyes that never failed to show the passion that Lily always had. He was scared that he'd never be able to share another perfect night with Lily again, perfect nights of gazing at the stars. He was scared that he'd never be able to learn from her again, discover more reasons why he loved her so much.

As much as his heart ached though, he couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. In the pit of his stomach, James felt as if he swallowed a bowling ball. If it weren't for him, Lily and Emmy would never have met. If it weren't for him, Emmy would have never hurt Lily, she would have never tried to murder her.

James sighed and then looked back at Carina. She'd turned away from him by that time, but for the first time, James noticed something about her that after all the years of knowing her, he hadn't ever seen. She didn't look strong. All throughout Hogwarts, Carina had always appeared strong. He never saw her cry, never saw her show any sign of weakness. He remembered a time back in third year when he and Sirius put honey in Carina's hair; even then she didn't show any signs of tears.

Now though, everything was different. Her face wasn't hard, as it had been back in third year. Her eyes were blotching now, another change from Hogwarts. Now, she was slightly trembling.

James took a deep breath in and continued to look at the woman in front of him. He was amazed to see how much Carina truly did care about Lily. It wasn't that he didn't think that Carina and Lily were close friends, he had always known that. But now, seeing Carina, he understood just how much their lives affected each other. Without Lily, Carina wasn't strong, she needed her there for support, needed her there to worry about things while Carina dealt with them in other ways.

"How about you?" he carefully asked, "Are you okay?"

Carina sharply turned her entire body in his direction, her hand impulsively wiping a small teardrop away. "Yeah, I'm okay."

They continued looking at each other, neither one knowing quite what to say next. After all, they weren't friends; they never really had been either. The only contact that they had with each other was through Lily, and that hadn't really been since their seventh year at Hogwarts.

Carina shut her eyes tightly for a moment before briskly opening them and saying, "I lied, I'm not okay. I need her to be okay, I need her." With that said, Carina burst into tears once more, hiding her face in her hands.

James wasn't sure what to do next, but being the gentleman that his parents taught him to be, he got up and took a seat next to Carina. She was softly rocking back and forth, trembling with each tear drop. He cautiously put his arms around her, giving her a small pat on the back. Surprisingly, she leaned back against him and continued her sobbing.

"She's going to be okay," he whispered as he stared off into space, not convinced at all of his answer.

"How do you know that?" she asked, removing her head from his chest and looking up at him.

As James looked down into her blood-shot eyes, he smiled for a second. That question was one exactly like one that Lily would have asked herself. She never took a simple line like that as an answer; she always wanted to know why.

"I know that she'll be okay, because, well…" he began, "because she's strong, and doesn't give up on anything."

Carina seemed to take that explanation as acceptable for she took her eyes off of him and began to stare off into space. Her eyes were still watery, but tears no longer dribbled down her cheeks.

"Excuse me," a petite nurse said as she walked toward James and Carina, "Mr. Potter, Miss Gallagher, the doctor says he'll speak with you both now if you could just follow me."

James and Carina immediately looked at each other before standing up and following the nurse across the building and toward Lily's room. The three wizards all walked in silence, but with each step, James and Carina could both feel their hearts speed up.

Once the nurse brought them to the doctor, she left right away and the doctor smiled at them. "Hello, I'm Dr. Parsi, Miss Evans, doctor…I've got good news, she'll be fine."

James could hear himself give a sigh of relief. Lily was okay. Lily was going to be just fine. James felt rejuvenated, as if his entire world was fresh and new. Never in his life had he ever felt as relieved as he did at that very moment.

"She's going to have to take it easy these next couple of days though," Dr. Parsi informed them. "She suffered a lot, and still has a lot of bruising. As we speak, her bones are being mended, she had a cracked rib and sprained ankle. She also lost quite a lot of blood, so we had to inject donor blood into her. Other than that though, she'll be okay…Also, we had to give her a medication which tends to knock people out cold for anywhere from ten to twenty-four hours. We just wanted to be extra careful dealing with the cracked rib, so the medicine with that side affect is one that protects her heart, lungs, basically all of her organs from bone mending spell."

As James listened to everything Dr. Parsi told him, he felt a stab of disappointment in his gut. Yes, he was thrilled that Lily was alright, but he was frustrated that he wouldn't actually be allowed to talk to Lily. More than anything in the world, he wanted to be able to hold Lily in his arms and tell her how much she meant to him. He wanted to her to know how much he loved her.

"Can I go in and see her?" James asked, looking hopefully at Dr. Parsi.

"Of course," he replied.

James smiled graciously at him and walked toward the room. As he did he caught Carina's eye and smiled at her. She replied with a smile of her own, one that showed everything. It was a smile that told him how relieved she was about everything. It was a smile that said, "go ahead in and have some privacy with Lily, I'll wait outside." And it was also a smile that told him that everything was truly okay, and everything was going to be okay.

As James opened the door and stepped inside, he looked around the room. It was relatively small, only holding the bed which Lily was peacefully sleeping on and a small chair to right of it. At the foot of the bed was an empty table, one that James presumed flowers would soon occupy. What caught him off guard though, was the fact that there was a small balcony in this room. Outside, the sky was pitch black, showing off just how early in the morning it was.

He walked over to the bed was shocked to see how relaxed Lily looked. She looked completely different from the state she was in just hours beforehand. Her face was cleaned up, only a small cut was across her cheek now.

James sat down beside her, looking deeply down at her. Even now, she looked gorgeous. He gently held her fingers in his hands and brought them to his lips. He tenderly kissed each one before repositioning her hands back where they were before.

He stroked her hair lightly, wiping it away from her face. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much." He knew that she couldn't hear him, but it still felt good just to let the words escape his lips.

---

Six hours later, James was still at the hospital. He only left lily's side once during the night, just for half an hour when Carina wanted to see her. The rest of the time though, James was there. He wanted someone to always be with her, just in case the medicine wore off and she woke up. He didn't want her to be alone when she woke up.

Now though, at eight o'clock in the morning, he found himself in St. Mungos cafeteria. Carina had, after thirty minutes of arguing, persuaded him to leave Lily and get something to eat. After all, he hadn't had a bite to eat since dinner yesterday. Although James didn't want to admit it, he was famished, not to mention in serious need of coffee.

So when Albus Dumbledore walked into the cafeteria that morning, what he saw was James hungrily inhaling his pancakes. He smiled at his former student, recognizing that sight as one he used to see everyday during the school year.

"One would think you hadn't had a bite to eat for a week," Dumbledore commented with a smile as he took a seat across from James.

"Professor," James surprisingly said.

"Call me Albus," Dumbledore answered, and then joked, "And please, have a drink of your orange juice and swallow."

James smiled. There was always something about Dumbledore that could make him smile, whether it be his witty comments or his optimistic way of thinking.

James did as he was told and then asked, "Albus, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you doing here?"

"Well, when a former student of mine gets injured, especially one as prominent and as lovely as Miss Evans, a visit is due," he answered.

James blushed for a moment, embarrassed that he hadn't come to that conclusion on his own. To make up for it though, he asked, "Why are you in the cafeteria though?"

"Oh, well, when I went to visit Miss Evans, Miss Gallagher informed me that she sent you down here to eat and have a cup of coffee. So, after having a peasant conversation with her and learning of Miss Evans' present condition, I came to see you," Dumbledore answered.

"Ah, I see," James replied.

The two wizards talked for nearly twenty minutes before either one of them realized how much time had elapsed. As Dumbledore was putting his cloak on though, a question popped into James's mind, one that he'd been meaning to ask all along.

"Albus, I was wondering, if maybe you could give me the address of Harry Pryce? You see, he helped me quite a bit, and I wanted to thank him in person," James informed Dumbledore.

"Harry Pryce? I'm sorry James, that name doesn't ring a bell," Dumbledore told his former student.

"But sir, he was at the _Meeting_ last week," James responded.

"I'm afraid that I don't know anyone who goes by that name," Dumbledore replied.

"Hmm, maybe I've got the name wrong. He's a tall guy, probably about 6'7", he's got short blonde hair," James described.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know anyone that tall, other than Hagrid that is," Dumbledore replied.

"But, I saw him. He talked to me," James announced.

"Why, may I ask it is so important for you to see this man?" Dumbledore asked.

"Because, he, he helped me save Lily's life," James told him.

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled at this comment, "How did he help you?"

"He made me realize that Emmy murdered my old partner Sam, and that Emmy was probably planning the same fate for Lily."

Dumbledore smiled at this, his eyes were twinkling more than before, "James, have you ever heard of a Hemming?"

James shook his head no.

"Well, a Hemming is a very magical creature, well, actually not a creature. You see, a Hemming can see into the future, it can see what may happen in everyone's lives… A Hemming can take the shape of whatever may please the person who they need to convince, but only that person can see it. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I think so. So, this Hemming thing, it saw what Emmy was going to do to Lily, and decided to talk to me and tell me how to save her," he answered.

"Well, yes and no. You see, a Hemming can only see the good fates of people," Dumbledore began, but was cut off by James.

"Then why did it come to me?"

"Ah, you see, if my thinking is correct, I believe that you and Miss Evans are supposed to belong together, and because of that, great things will happen. Great things will happen," he slowly responded.

"So, you're saying that a Hemming can only interfere if good comes out of it?" James asked.

"Once again, yes and no. Millions of people die all the time, but Hemmings don't come to everyone. But, you and Miss Evans must change the world somehow," Dumbledore told him, his eyes sparkling with knowledge.

"How can we possibly do that?" James asked.

"Now, that is truly a mystery. Who knows, maybe you and Miss Evans won't change the world for the better," Dumbledore told him.

"But sir, if we don't, then why would a Hemming come to me?" James asked.

"Maybe you will change the world, or maybe a close friend or relative will," he responded.

"Then why wouldn't the Hemming just go to that person?" James questioned.

"James Potter, you must understand. Suppose you and Miss Evans meet someone, and that person would have become a medi-witch if it wasn't for the two of you. And as a medi-witch, that person invented the repellent that could save a person from Avada-Kedava… Or, suppose you and Miss Evans were to get married, and then have children. And those children became the medi-witch that invented the repellent. Those children wouldn't be there in the future to do that, if the Hemming hadn't guided you to save Miss Evans," Dumbledore explained.

"Oh, I understand now," James responded slowly.

"Good, now, I've got to be heading back to the castle, but I will see you at the next Meeting," Dumbledore added happily.

"Yeah, I'll see you then."

As Dumbledore left, James couldn't shake away what he said. Could that really be true? Were he and Lily meant to do great things? He inwardly told himself "no", but at the same time, why would this Hemming come?

For some reason, James felt that it was best not to tell Lily about Harry Pryce. He didn't know why, but for some odd reason he felt that she shouldn't know about the Hemming, so he kept that secret to himself, not wanting anyone to know except for himself and Dumbledore.

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**Author's Note 2:** Okay, okay, like I've already said, I'm so sorry for not updating this sooner. But I swear, I truly didn't have any time whatsoever! (I've got a long, in depth explanation for my lack of updating in my profile, so if you really care to know why I hacen't updated, read that!) Anyways, I will try my hardest to finish this story over Thanksgiving Break, when I'm not weighed down by school. Also, I hope you all liked this chapter, and I hope the whole Hemming thing isn't confusing. Please review! 


	31. True Love

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters that are in the Harry Potter books. J. K. Rowling does, like everyone already knows.

**Author's Note: **Thanks to ellieo, sugur-huny-bun, Brilover, Holly-Short-Evans, Harry and Ginny 4eva, MagikMischiefMaker, Percephone, babi-gurl8907, Faith Forever in Harry, Lady Vampyre, Idancer, evahyoung, Chelles, -Scp-, i-LuV-cHaRmEd18, xxquidditchjunkiexx, Fiery Flower, Hollabulooooooooo, Gilmoregirl7878, Sue, bluejeanmistress, i luv Daniel, x0x-Mystique-x0x, Shelby, LaughingManiac, Precious421, wizemunkee006, Rosey, banny, Miss Myrtle360, famousindafuture, phantom girl 759, Snowflake Prongsette, xXfiRePhoEnixXx, lily and james xoxo, LilyandJamesLover, and Katie for reviewing! You are all incredible!

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Hours after Dumbledore left, James found himself back in Lily's room. She still hadn't woken up yet, nor was she expected to until very early tomorrow morning. James looked down at his watch, it was now 7:30 p.m., and the doctors suspected that Lily would wake up at around 2:00 in the morning. He felt his heart sank a bit, not wanting to wait any longer to hold Lily in his arms and tell her how much he cared about her.

Gently, he took Lily's hand in his own. Her skin was as smooth as it always had been; her touch the same touch that he could clearly remember waking up to. James shut his eyes and the memories that he and Lily shared together came rushing to his mind.

He could perfectly vision Lily's sweet face, her smile, her eyes, her hair, everything. With just the touch of her limp, resting hand in his, he could feel and see his favorite look of Lily's, the look that told him she cared about him, without needing any words. It was the look where her eyes seemed to clearly sparkle, not the sparkle that people use to over-exaggerate things, but truly sparkle. It was as if a light was in her eyes, one that only appeared when they were together. Her lips were always smiling, not a fake, toothy grin, but a genuine, beautiful smile. Her face was always soft too, not only in texture, but in her expression as well. Her face was always inviting, as if she wanted to share herself with him forever.

When James opened his eyes, Lily's sweet memorable face flooded away from him and he was left with the gloomy hospital setting to admire. He glanced out the window and saw that the sun had fully set and the midnight sky was overhead.

He turned his attention back toward the slumbering woman in front of him. He watched as she took each breath, her chest slowly moving up and down. He placed her hand back into its former position and moved his own hand back toward her face. He traced the outline of her lips, cheeks, forehead with his fingers, wanting to absorb everything about her.

Slumping back into his chair, he gazed at Lily for quite sometime before the words of Albus Dumbledore reentered his mind. The Hemming saved Lily's life. If it wasn't for the Hemming, James would never have known to rescue Lily, it wasn't for the Hemming, Lily would have been murdered.

As James stared intently at her, he wondered what it was that Lily was destined to do that would have made such a creature interfere with what should have happened. Was she going to make a life-altering discovery? Was she going to make a difference in the war against Voldermort?

What intrigued James the most, however, was the puzzling suggestion that Dumbledore made: her future children, or as Dumbledore actually said, both James and Lily's children. Was it possible that he could be the father of an outstanding wizard that would change the society as they knew it? Was it possible that his child would make a large impact in the world, one so great that a Hemming would be involved?

He wasn't able to answer those questions though, or even think about them any longer. For at that moment, he heard a gentle knock on the door followed by Carina's voice, "James, are you in there?"

James instantly got to his feet, and before opening the door, took one last glance over at Lily. He then refocused his attention on the door and opened it. "Hey Carina."

"Hi, um, Sirius Black is in the waiting room. He said he'd really like to talk to you," she informed him.

James was shocked to hear this. True, Sirius was his best friend, and true, best friends were known to be there to support their friends whenever needed, but James hadn't expected this at all. For starters, James wondered how Sirius even knew about Lily or where to find him. Secondly, James knew for a fact that Lily and Sirius didn't get along very well at all. In fact, they rather detested each other. Why would Sirius be here?

Carina could easily see James's emotion written on his face and said, "I was surprised to see him down there too."

"Why didn't he just come up?"

"I don't know, my guess is that he wasn't sure if Lily would want to even see him," Carina replied, and a few seconds later added, "But when he saw me, he asked if I had seen you at all. When I said you were probably up in Lily's room, he got kind of squeamish, so I volunteered to come up and find you…Besides, you've been hogging Lily, and its my turn to visit her."

James smiled at Carina's last comment. Not only was it completely true, but the way she said it reminded him that Lily was okay and was going to be okay.

"Well, I better get down there and see what Sirius wants," James said and then proceeded to make his way down the long hallways and into the waiting room.

The first thing that James noticed when he got down there was Sirius standing by the door. He had his usual outfit on, loose jeans, a t-shirt and topped with a black, leather jacket. However, in his hands, he held a bouquet of flowers; bright yellow daisies.

"Hey Sirius," James said as he approached his friend.

"Hey," he responded, "how're you holding up?"

"I'm okay," James answered, and then asked, "Despite this being a hospital, they've got pretty good coffee in the cafeteria, you want to go down there?"

"Sure," Sirius replied and the two men made their way down another two flights of stairs toward the cafeteria.

Once they were both seated and each had a steaming cup of coffee resting on the table in front of them, Sirius asked, "Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"James, I've been your best friend since the first day at Hogwarts, don't lie to me," Sirius said, making sure that James knew how sincere he was being.

He looked up at his friend and shut his eyes to push back the tears. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost her."

"You really love her, don't you," Sirius stated, as if he had seen Lily and James interact with each other constantly, yet never saw the connection until now.

James just stared at his friend, unsure what to say. He knew he loved Lily, had known it since Hogwarts, but it had never been said before. He never told Lily that he loved her, nor did she ever tell him that she loved him. Yet, the emotion was present, even Sirius could tell.

James felt his heart swell with pride; he loved Lily Evans, loved her more than life itself. Love: downright, true, absolute love. What he felt for Lily, he had never felt for another woman, ever. Even when he was dating Emmy, he never cared about her half as much as he did for Lily.

It felt good to have that emotion out in the air, it felt amazing to have figured out and been mentally able to think about how much he loved her. Just the word "love" made him feel jittery inside. He loved Lily Evans, always had and always would.

"I love her," James said, finally saying the words aloud.

Sirius smiled at him. He was happy for his friend, despite the fact that he and Lily didn't get along. He could truly tell that James's heart was in the right place. He could tell that Lily was the one girl that James needed in his life, the one girl that could make him content.

"When I found her, I'd never been so scared in my life," James confessed. "And when I was opening the door to her apartment, I was really afraid that I'd be too late."

Sirius looked at his friend and saw pain written over his face, making how hard it was for him to talk about this crystal clear. "James, don't think about. Just remember, she's going to be as good as new."

"I know," he replied, blinking his eyes to force the tears from drizzling down his cheeks.

Silence passed between the two men for a moment before Sirius pulled the flowers from the seat next to him and handed them over to James. "These are for Lily; give them to her for me, would you?"

"Yeah, sure," James answered, pulling the small bouquet closer to him.

"I didn't know what flower she liked, but the lady at the store said these were a popular hospital choice," Sirius said.

James smiled for a second before laughing. Sirius Black proved once again just why they were best friends. Even in times like these, he could make James laugh, not unlike the effect that Lily had on him. The best part of it all though, was that this laughter wasn't intended. It was obvious that Sirius didn't see why this was funny, and most people wouldn't find it humorous at all. James, on the other hand though, knew Sirius better than anyone in the world and knew just how sincere his friend was. Not to mention he also knew Sirius's lack of good taste, which was the true reason for his comment to be laughed at.

"Hey, you would've done the same," Sirius said, trying to defend himself.

"Nah, I would've just picked something up and bought it, not actually go up to some lady and ask what kind of flower was appropriate for a hospital," James joked.

Sirius gave him a dirty look for a moment, but then joined his friend in smiling and laughing. It was the perfect remedy for James.

---

Two hours later, James found himself looking down at his watch and being surprised to see just how late it was getting. He turned his gaze toward the large windows, the darkness confirming the late hour.

Noticing James's expression, he looked down at his own watch and said, "Wow, I guess I'd better get going."

"Yeah," James agreed, "I should get back to Lily's room."

"Wait, before I go, I've got a question."

"Shoot," James said, looking at his friend expectantly.

"How many years is Emmy in Azkaban for?"

James's expression hardened for the first time that night and he bitterly replied, "She's not going to Azkaban."

"What?" Sirius asked, his voice and face both conveying the shock he felt.

"The doctor's say she's mentally ill, and isn't suit for Azkaban," James explained, "Instead, they're sending her to some mental institute in Scotland."

"That's fucking nonsense, mentally ill my ass," Sirius remarked.

"No shit," James agreed.

"Seriously though, she almost bloody committed murder, she should be sent to Azkaban immediately…I mean, what kind of fucked up system do we have here? They send the death-eaters to Azkaban without trial, even the innocent ones like Samuel Park, but they won't send some chick that was caught red-handed," he ranted.

"I know," James bitterly said. He hated the fact that she wasn't suffering a great deal by this. He wanted Emmy to have to endure the Dementors; he wanted her to go through something that was considered worse than death.

"Did they say how she was considered a psycho?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," James reluctantly said before going into detail everything that the nurse told him. When being questioned, Emmy had said that the sole reason for her attempted murder was because of her love for James. She figured that if Lily was out of the picture, then he would come running back to her, and she was willing to do anything to have James by her side once again. She claimed that she needed James, and without him she couldn't bare to live, she needed him like the human race needs oxygen. She said that even if she had to kill to be with James, she would do it. She said that she couldn't help it, said that any woman who tried to take "her Jamie" away from her didn't deserve to live.

"She's one fucked up girl," Sirius said as James finished his story.

"Yeah, I know," James agreed, cracking a smile while he spoke. The content of which he talked about was very somber, but the expression on Sirius's face and the tone of his voice while he talked would have made anyone smile.

"Well, on the bright side of things," he began to say, "Well, actually, there really isn't anything bright to say."

James only smiled at that.

"Or, actually, there is something bright to say, she's off the streets now and locked up in a room that hopefully has lots of padding," he joked, picturing the white walls with padding on all sides in his mind.

"Very true," James agreed.

"Ah, okay then, I really do have to get going now," Sirius reluctantly said. If it were up to him, he would have preferred to stay here with James, but knew that although James was having a good time, his heart's desire was to go see Lily Evans once again.

"See you later," James said.

"Oh, wait a second," Sirius said and turning his wand toward the flowers, which had been dieing from their lack of water, rejuvenated them back to life again.

"Thanks."

"Well, tell Lily that I hope she's okay," Sirius sincerely said. Despite how he previously thought about Lily, he knew that any girl special enough to be loved by James, was special enough to get a second chance.

"I will," James said, and then as a second thought, added, "Thanks, thanks for everything."

Sirius looked him straight in the eye and replied, "Don't mention it."

---

With Sirius's flowers in his hands, James headed back toward Lily's room. Once there he found a note taped on the outside of door and he quickly snatched it off and read it.

_James, _

_It's about 10:00 and I haven't showered in a while, so I'm heading home for the night. If Lily wakes up, owl me and I'm there in two seconds flat. I'll stop by tomorrow bright and early otherwise though. _

_-Carina _

James sighed and opened the heavy, oak door. Once inside, he flipped on the light switch and made his familiar track over to the table that sat opposite of Lily's bed. He added the flowers to the several other bouquets and smiled at the numbers of people who were concerned about Lily.

"Hey stranger," came a soft voice from behind him.

James could feel butterflies in his stomach and his heart felt as if it were made of feathers it was so light. He turned on his heel and to his delight saw the woman of his dreams sitting across form him. She was still pale and very thin, but otherwise looked perfectly healthy. She wore her infamous, gorgeous smile on her face which only made her eyes sparkle more than ever.

"Lily," he whispered.

"Well, are you going to stay over there or are you going to come over here?" she asked, beaming at him.

Instantly he snapped out of his daze of amazement and made his over toward her bed. As he came closer, she moved a bit to the side to make room for him to sit beside her.

"How're you feeling?" he asked as he draped an arm around her, as if to tell her he was never going to let her out of his arms again.

"A little weak, but other than that, I'm okay," she answered.

"Did you just wake up, or were you just watching me put flowers over there?" he teasingly asked.

"Yeah, just admiring you," she joked back, leaning toward him and laying a small kiss on his cheek.

With his free hand, he reached over and took her own hand in his, feeling the softness and weakness in it. "God, Lils, you don't know how glad I am that you're okay."

She could only smile at him, unsure of any thing to say.

"I mean it, I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you," he told her.

"I know, I know," Lily whispered. "But I'm here, so cheer up."

He let out a small chuckle, and he knew his list of reasons for loving her grew each moment he was with her. Lily's bright attitude about this whole event was incredible. Where most people would be depressed and scared about what happened, she was putting it behind her. She was moving on with her life and wanted only happiness and joy.

"Can I get anything for you?" he asked, realizing now that he should have asked a long time ago.

"No, just stay here with me," she answered.

In assuring her that he would never leave, he repositioned himself on the bed so that they were both under the warm covers of the hospital bed. His arm remained behind her, holding her tightly to his chest. And she comfortably fit in his grasp.

"See all those flowers?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Those pink and yellow ones over there, they're from your office. And the daisies are from Sirius. And Dumbledore left the ones over there," James informed her pointing at each one as he spoke. He told her the rest of them as well, including telling her about the ones that Jason had sent.

"Well, they're all beautiful," she commented.

"Almost as beautiful as you," he quickly remarked.

She blushed a light shade of pink, but loved to hear his compliments.

"You know, you weren't supposed to wake up for another three hours," James told her.

"What you want me to go back to bed?" she jokingly asked.

"Oh, shut up," he teased before leaning over and laying a light kiss on her rosy lips.

She continued to smile up at him as he lips departed from hers, "So, you said all these people brought flowers, but did anyone other than you and Carina come to actually visit?"

"Well, Karen from your work said she'd be stopping by once you woke up. Jason left you a note, but I swear, I didn't open it. Dumbledore wanted to see how you were doing as well, I talked with him for a while, and he says he'll be back later as well. Sirius and I talked for a while as well. A couple other girls from Hogwarts came too, and they dropped off cards and said they'll owl you soon," James recited, trying his best to remember everyone.

"What did you and Dumbledore talk about?" Lily asked, obviously just trying to make conversation.

James thought about it for a moment, recalling the events perfectly in his mind. Instantly he thought of the Hemming story that Dumbledore informed him of, a story that could have changed everything. Instead of talking about the Hemming though, James replied, "Not too much, just catching up with each other."

"Okay," was all Lily said. James looked at her and wondered if not telling her was the best idea. And as he saw how peaceful she looked, he knew he didn't want to disturb that. Someday he'd tell her, someday when the moment was right.

"Anything interesting happen?" she asked.

"Just one thing," he answered.

"What's that?"

"I'll tell you later," he said right before yawning. He hadn't slept in what seemed like forever, and now that he knew that Lily was safe, all the sleepless hours seemed to catch up with him.

"Fine then," she said, and then added, "You know, one would think that I wouldn't be tired right now, but I actually am."

"What? After sleeping for so long?" he teased, once again adding a yawn at the end of his sentence.

"I know, it's hard to believe."

"Well then, good night Lily," he whispered, magically switching off the light switch with his wand.

"Good night, James," she whispered back.

"Do you still want to know the interesting thing that happened?" he questioned.

"Sure."

He paused a moment, staring into her face. Although the lights were out and he couldn't define her every feature, he could still see the glimpses of her face from the moonlit sky peeping through the window. He could tell she looked gorgeous, even with a sleepy face.

"I love you," he whispered.

He could see her lips curl upward as she whispered, "I love you too."

---

The End

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**Author's Note 2:** Hi guys! Okay, so I'm really sorry that this took so long to do. I hoped to have this chapter up by the end of my Thanksgiving Break, but as bad luck would have it, I entered a small writer's block then! But here you are: the last chapter of Love Affair. I hope you all enjoyed it, because I certainly loved writing it and reading your reviews. Also, I am planning on writing a sequel to this, but I will not post it/ write it until this summer. I don't want to make anyone who wants to read it wait and wait like this story. Also, if anyone has any suggestions on titles for it, I'd love to hear them! Anyways, thank you to anyone who has ever reviewed or read this story, it means the world to me.


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